Sergeant Edward William Gundel

Edward William Gundel

Sergeant Edward Gundel was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a suspect in Pine Grove, Pennsylvania, for assault. Officers saw the man entering a building through a window, and as Sergeant Gundel approached, he was shot twice with a 16-gauge shotgun.

The suspect was apprehended and charged with murder. The suspect was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison. He was paroled in March of 1972. On June 28, 1972, he and three other inmates were arrested and charged with robbing and beating a 72-year-old man to death. The murder occurred in the man's home near the Schuylkill County Prison in 1969. It was determined that due to lax security, the inmates had escaped from the prison and returned without being noticed.

Sergeant Gundel was a veteran of the Pennsylvania National Guard and served with the Pennsylvania State Police for almost 25 years. He was survived by his wife and three sons.