Special Officer Frank L. Cornelius

Frank L. Cornelius

Special Officer Frank Cornelius was shot and killed in Oklahoma City by two men who attempted to rob him at gunpoint. He drew his weapon and a shootout ensued in which he was fatally wounded. Officer Cornelius was taken to University Hospital where he succumbed to his wounds two days later.

Two boys, 18 and 19, were apprehended in Sulpher two months later and charged with murder. On March 30, 1921, they were convicted of Officer Cornelius' murder and sentenced to life. Both were paroled on May 4, 1923.

Officer Cornelius had served in WWI and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the Croix de Guerre. He had previously served as a policeman in Norman, Oklahoma, and is buried in Wynnewood, Oklahoma. Officer Cornelius was survived by two brothers and one sister.