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Officer Carl Petersen | Westhope Police Department, North Dakota
Westhope Police Department, North Dakota

Officer

Carl Petersen

Westhope Police Department, North Dakota

End of Watch: Monday, October 2, 1922

Biographical Info

Age: 56
Tour of Duty: 1 week
Badge Number: Not available

Incident Details

Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: October 2, 1922
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Sentenced to 25 years

Officer Carl Petersen was shot and killed when he attempted to arrest four men who had broken into a local hardware store at approximately 2:00 am. As he approached the building, he was shot in the leg and bled to death at the scene.

Three weeks later, two of the men were arrested and charged with his murder. One was convicted of murder and sentenced to 25 years in prison. On July 26, 1936, he was released. On January 14, 1923, the other suspect was sentenced to 18 months. He was released six months later. A third suspect was arrested in Aberdeen, Washington, in 1926. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to 25 years. On April 8, 1936, he was released. The fourth suspect, believed to be the shooter, was never apprehended.

Officer Petersen had served with the Westhope Police Department for one week. He was survived by his wife and nine children. He was preceded in death by a daughter.

He was buried in Dovre Lutheran Cemetery, Newberg, North Dakota.