Officer William Koger was shot and killed while on a stakeout for thieves in a railyard.

On November 22, 1913, Officer Koger was on a stakeout with two officers of the Missouri Pacific Railroad, near the railroad tracks at the Frisco crossing at 45th and Brighton. Missouri Pacific contents of freight cars had been stolen several nights in a row, prior to the stakeout. When the five thieves were confronted by the three officers, Kansas City Officer Koger accompanied by railroad officers C.M. Barger and W.H. Roulit, a gun battle ensued. Officer Koger fired one shot, was shot in the neck and died on November 23, 1913 at 11:40 am at South Side Hospital. Governor Major offered a $200 reward for the arrest of the box car robbers who killed officer Koger. Suspect Dale Jones was arrested in December 1915 in Los Angeles for both the killing of Officer Koger and complicity in the killing of Constable Sam Queen of Hume, Missouri.

Officer Koger, 53, was a 25 year veteran of the police department. Officer Koger had resigned from the department on July 30, 1910 but was recommissioned on July 31, 1913. During the hiatus from the department, Officer Koger worked as a house detective for the Hotel Baltimore.
Interred: Mount Washington Cemetery.

Article by Brent Marchant