Miami Police Department, Florida
End of Watch: Monday, November 28, 1921
Age: 34
Tour of Duty: 3 months
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire (Inadvertent)
Date of Incident: November 28, 1921
Weapon Used: Officer's handgun
Suspect Info: Not available
Officer Richard Marler was accidentally shot and killed by a detective from the Dade County Sheriff's Office.
He was among a group of officers who were searching for a suspect who had shot three men one hour earlier. Officer Marler and a citizen had taken a concealed position in bushes along the Dixie Highway on the Deering Estate. The detective was in a car driving on the highway when he observed movement in the bushes. Thinking that it was the suspect, the detective opened fire and fatally wounded Officer Marler.
Officer Marler had served with the Miami Police Department for three months.