Patrolman Wilbert McMicken

Wilbert McMicken

Patrolman Wilbert McMicken and Sheriff Hughes Van Etten of the Koochiching County Sheriff's Department succumbed to gunshot wounds received on September 18, 1922.

Several officers had gone to a home to arrest a man for forging stolen checks. When the occupants of the house refused to open the door, the officers attempted to force entry. One of the men inside opened fire, striking Patrolman McMicken and Sheriff Van Etten each in a leg. The suspect was able to escape but was later shot and killed by a posse.

The wounded officers were taken to a local hospital, where Patrolman McMicken died the following day. Sheriff Van Etten succumbed to his wound 11 days later.

Officer McMicken had been with the International Falls Police Department for two months. He was survived by his wife and five children.