Dane County Sheriff's Office, Wisconsin
End of Watch: Saturday, January 4, 1930
Age: 28
Tour of Duty: 1 year
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: January 4, 1930
Weapon Used: Handgun
Suspect Info: Released after 6 years
Deputy Sheriff Earl Van Deusen was shot and killed during a domestic dispute in which a man took his wife hostage.
As the man led his wife down a rear set of stairs the deputy posted there ordered him to stop. The man fired at the deputy but missed. As Deputy Van Deusen emerged from the kitchen of the home into the rear hallway the suspect shot him in the right side, causing a fatal wound. The suspect was convicted of Deputy Van Deusen's murder but released after only six years.
Deputy Van Deusen had served with the Dane County Sheriff's Office for one year. He wwas survived by his mother.