Davenport Police Department, Iowa
End of Watch: Sunday, December 5, 1971
Age: 29
Tour of Duty: 1 year
Badge Number: 0419
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: December 5, 1971
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Released after 16 years
Officer Michael Farnsworth was shot and killed while attempting to apprehend a suspect connected to the armed robbery of a Chicago police officer's motel room.
The suspect was convicted of second-degree murder but released after only 16 years. The suspect then went on to become a guest lecturer at DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. When citizens found out about this atrocity, the program he was lecturing for was suspended.
Officer Farnsworth had served with the Davenport Police Department for less than one year. He was survived by his wife and newborn baby.