Kansas City Police Department, Missouri
End of Watch: Friday, March 7, 1924
Age: 36
Tour of Duty: 2 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: March 7, 1924
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: One shot and killed
Detective George Lawson was shot and killed while arresting two men who had just robbed a laundry on Woodland Avenue in Kansas City.
Detective Lawson and other officers were patrolling the area when they were notified of the robbery. When the officers abandoned their patrol vehicle and chased the suspects on foot, a gunfight ensued. Detective Lawson caught up with two of the subjects in the alley at Fourteenth Street and Euclid and fired, but one of the suspects returned fire and struck him in the head and shoulder. He was found in front of 1416 Euclid in Kansas City. Another detective and a patrolman were also wounded in the gunfight.
The next night, one suspect was shot and killed by detectives at a local rooming house. Another suspect was arrested a few weeks later.
Detective Lawson had served as a law enforcement officer with the Kansas City Police Department for two years and previously worked as a police chauffeur. He was survived by his wife, parents, and three sisters.