Olmsted County Sheriff's Office, Minnesota
End of Watch: Tuesday, May 17, 1977
Age: 33
Tour of Duty: 5 years
Badge Number: 37
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: May 17, 1977
Weapon Used: Shotgun; 20 gauge
Suspect Info: Sentenced to life
Deputy Sheriff Jack Werner was shot and killed when he attempted to stop a suspect who was driving wildly in the deserted Apache Mall parking lot in Rochester.
The subject opened fire on Deputy Werner with a sawed-off shotgun, striking him twice in the chest. The man then fled in Deputy Werner's patrol car but was apprehended four hours later.
The man, 20, was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison on September 21st, 1977. On September 20, 1980, he killed a fellow inmate in Stillwater Prison and got 14 years added to his sentence on May 19, 1981.
Deputy Werner had served with the Olmsted County Sheriff's Office for five years. He was survived by his wife and two daughters.