Officer John Jacobson was walking his foot-beat when he was shot and killed while attempting to arrest two burglary suspects at 19th and Forest.

On August 26, 1897, at 10:45 pm, Officer Jacobson came upon two suspects attempting to burglarize the William McCarty carpentry shop located on the southwest corner of 19th and Forest. As he was placing the suspects under arrest, one of them pulled a .45 caliber revolver and shot Officer Jacobson, one round passing through arm then entering his chest and striking his heart. Officer Jacobson fell to the sidewalk on the south side of 19th Street approximately 30 feet west of the Carpentry shop. Evidence found at the scene supported the theory that two local thieves were responsible for the murder. A $250 reward was offered by the Board of Police Commissioners for information leading to the arrest of the suspect.

On September 1, 1897, Detective Thomas Hayde and Johnson County Sheriff Glover apprehended Harry Deyo five miles south of Olathe, Kansas at Deyo's brother, David Deyo's, residence. Deyo and another man, Dick Reynolds were suspected of Officer Jacobson's murder. Missing goods taken in a robbery from the Emrich Brothers Drygoods store at 1003 W. 17th Street, and a .38 caliber revolver were found in Deyo's possession. Deyo received a 3-year sentence for burglary and was confined in a reform school as he was underage at the time of the offense.

Officer John Jacobson, 27, was born in northern Sweden and moved to the United States when he was 3 years old. He moved to Kansas City from Gothenburg, Nebraska 10 years prior to his death. He served with the Kansas City Police Department since May 15, 1897. He was survived by his half brother, Oscar Tederman. Officer Jacobson worked for Police Commissioner Scarritt for three years as a coachman, for three years as a conductor on the Troost Avenue cable car and was appointed to the police department on May 15th. Interred: Elmwood Cemetery.

Article by Brent Marchant