Muncie Police Department, Indiana
End of Watch: Sunday, April 24, 1932
Age: 35
Tour of Duty: 4 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: April 24, 1932
Weapon Used: Handgun
Suspect Info: Pardoned in 1959
Patrolman James McCracken was shot and killed during an armed robbery as he escorted two men to a bank to make a deposit.
The male suspects, who fled the scene with $747, later shot and killed Patrolman Charles Holt, of the Springfield, Ohio, Police Department, on June 29, 1932. One suspect was apprehended in Indianapolis within days while the other two were captured in Effingham, Illinois, a month later.
The suspects were extradicted to Ohio where one offender was convicted of an unrelated armed robbery charge. The second offender pleaded guilty to shooting with intent to kill, sentenced to life in prison and was paroled in 1945. The third offender was found guilty of first-degree murder, sentenced to life in prison and was pardoned in 1959.
Patrolman McCracken had served with the Muncie Police Department for four years. He was survived by his wife.