St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, Missouri
End of Watch: Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Age: 50
Tour of Duty: 21 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: February 19, 1987
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Arrested
Sergeant Jeffry Kowalski succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained on February 19th, 1987, while chasing a juvenile robbery suspect in the 5000 block of Vernon Avenue.
During the pursuit he was shot once in the abdomen, causing severe internal injuries.
In the spring of 2008, Sergeant Kowalski was diagnosed with cancer that had attacked organs which had been severely wounded by the shooting and subsequent surgeries. As a result, he passed away several months later.
Sergeant Kowalski, who also served in the U.S. Army as a military policeman with the 2nd Infantry Division in South Korea in 1977, had served with the police department for 21 years.