Sergeant James Joshua Cowart
Des Moines Police Department
Iowa
End of Watch: Monday, December 7, 1931

Biographical Info
Age: Not available
Tour of Duty: 9 years
Badge Number: 96

Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Sunday, December 6, 1931
Weapon Used: Shotgun
Suspect Info: Accidentally killed himself

Sergeant Cowart was shot and killed by a former deputy sheriff he had arrested five years earlier. Sergeant Cowart was at home when the man knocked on his door. When he answered it the suspect, standing in the yard, fired a single shot through the glass-enclosed porch, striking Sergeant Cowart in the stomach. Arriving officers found the suspect fatally wounded after his shotgun accidentally discharged as he attempted to dismantle it.

Sergeant Cowart had been with the agency for nine years.