Police Officer David I. Bergum

David I. Bergum

Officer David Bergum was shot and killed while questioning a suspicious person at Ash Street near 17th Street around 4:15 a.m. His partner was shot and wounded.

The 19-year-old suspect, who had just finished serving a robbery term and was the son of a policeman, escaped but was later caught and arrested at a friend's home. He was convicted of murder and sentenced to life. On November 18, 1953, he stabbed and seriously wounded a fellow inmate, and then tried unsuccessfully to take his own life. He was still in prison in 1967.

Officer Bergum had been with the agency for five years and was survived by his expectant wife, son, and daughter. He was a World War II Veteran. He served in the Burma-China-India Theater.