The Officer Down Memorial Page Remembers . . .
 
Photograph: Chief of Detectives Tony Oliver

Patch image: Springfield Police Department, Missouri






Chief of Detectives Tony Oliver
Springfield Police Department
Missouri

End of Watch: Saturday, January 2, 1932

Biographical Info
Age: 50
Tour of Duty: 26 years
Badge Number: Not available

Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Saturday, January 2, 1932
Weapon Used: Rifle
Suspect Info: Committed suicide

Chief of Detectives Oliver was the last officer to be killed in raid. Chief Oliver attempted to pull back to a safer position while waiting for other officers to arrive with help when the suspects shot him in the back.

Chief Oliver had been with the agency for 26 years and had served as Chief of Detective for two years. He was survived by his wife, three daughters and two sons, one of who would later serve as deputy sheriff of Greene County.

Two brothers considered local petty burglars killed a total of seven Law Enforcement Officers. After they killed Town Marshal Mark Noe on June 2, 1929, a massive manhunt began for the suspects. The two suspects were located at the family farmhouse on January 2, 1932. They had come to town to visit their mother for the Christmas holiday. A raiding party of eleven officers was formed to arrest the two brothers. As the officers surrounded the farmhouse gunfire erupted and in the end six officers lay dead.

The suspects escaped, and fled to Texas. They were located there by Houston Police and as police moved in the two suspects committed suicide.

Related Line of Duty Deaths
Patch image: Springfield Police Department, MissouriTown Marshal Mark S. Noe
Republic Police Department, MO
EOW: Sunday, June 2, 1929
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Patch image: Springfield Police Department, MissouriDeputy Sheriff Ollie Crosswhite
Greene County Sheriff's Department, MO
EOW: Saturday, January 2, 1932
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Patch image: Springfield Police Department, MissouriSheriff Marcell C. Hendrix
Greene County Sheriff's Department, MO
EOW: Saturday, January 2, 1932
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Patch image: Springfield Police Department, MissouriDeputy Sheriff Wiley Mashburn
Greene County Sheriff's Department, MO
EOW: Saturday, January 2, 1932
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Patch image: Springfield Police Department, MissouriPatrolman Charles Houser
Springfield Police Department, MO
EOW: Saturday, January 2, 1932
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Patch image: Springfield Police Department, MissouriPatrolman Sidney Meadows
Springfield Police Department, MO
EOW: Saturday, January 2, 1932
Cause of Death: Gunfire

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