Sheriff Shoemaker was found dead on the road. At about 10:00 pm Sheriff Shoemaker went in search of some missing cattle. He was gone for nearly six hours when his horse returned riderless. A group went out in search of him and found his lifeless body lying on the road leading to Howe's Mill about 150 yards from Gale's Ford. His revolver was by his side and had been fired four times. Sheriff Shoemaker had been shot in the head above the right ear with the bullet passing through the temple and lodging near the base of the brain.

Sheriff Shoemaker was survived by his wife, Susan. He was appointed sheriff in 1862, then was elected later in 1862 and 1864. He was a captain in the Union Militia during the Civil War. Interred: Old City Cemetery, Albany, Missouri.