Texas Game and Fish Commission, Texas
End of Watch: Friday, December 14, 1951
Age: 41
Tour of Duty: 12 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: December 14, 1951
Weapon Used: Handgun
Suspect Info: Executed in 1952
Game Warden Gus Engeling was shot and killed in the Darden Wildlife Management Facility, near Palestine, Texas, while attempting to arrest an illegal duck hunter.
Game Warden Engeling was assisting a work crew to repair a broken pipeline when he heard a gunshot in the marsh several yards away. Although he was unarmed, he went to investigate the gunshot and encountered a poacher who had shot two ducks. The poacher fled on foot and then shot Game Warden Engeling with his shotgun as he was being pursued.
The poacher returned the shooting scene the next day and hid Warden Engeling's body under a submerged tree in the marsh.
The suspect was apprehended, confessed to the murder, and sentenced to death. The man was executed in the electric chair on December 2nd, 1952.
Game Warden Engeling was a U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of WWII and had served with the Texas Game and Fish Commission for 12 years. He is survived by his wife and three children.
The Darden Wildlife Management Facility was later renamed to the Gus Engeling Wildlife Management Area.