Kansas City Police Department, Missouri
End of Watch: Saturday, January 24, 1914
Age: 37
Tour of Duty: 2 months
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: January 24, 1914
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Never apprehended
Probationary Officer Bernard McKernan was found dead from gunshot wounds in an ally near 441 East 11th Street.
Minutes later, a man was found lying on a lawn near 13th Street and Wabash Avenue. He had been shot in the hip, and Officer McKernan's revolver was beside him. He said a woman ran by him and dropped the revolver as she passed. He said when he picked it up, it accidentally discharged, the bullet hitting his hip. Detectives put slight credence in his story, but there is no record that he was ever charged.
Officer McKernan had served with the Kansas City Police Department for eight weeks. He was survived by his wife.