Koochiching County Sheriff's Department, Minnesota
End of Watch: Friday, September 29, 1922
Age: 41
Tour of Duty: 8 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: September 18, 1922
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Shot and killed
Sheriff Van Etten and Patrolman Wilbert McMicken, of the International Falls Department succumbed to gunshot wounds received on September 18, 1922.
Several officers had gone to a home to arrest a man for forging stolen checks. When the occupants of the house refused to open the door, the officers attempted to force entry. One of the men inside opened fire, striking Patrolman McMicken and Sheriff Van Etten each in a leg. The wounded officers were taken to a local hospital where Patrolman McMicken died the following day. Sheriff Van Etten succumbed to his wound 11 days later.
The suspect was able to escape but was later shot and killed by a posse.
Sheriff Van Etten had been with the Koochiching County Sheriff's Department for eight years. He was survived by his wife and daughter.