EOW: Tuesday, Jan 22, 1924
Officer Barney Jasper was on patrol when he was shot and killed in an ambush.
The night of January 21, 1924, Officer Barney Jasper was walking in Little Italy when an unknown assailant ambushed him, shooting him from behind with a shotgun. He was found where he had fallen in front of 518 Forest Avenue. Police theory was that the assailant hid behind a tall fence at the address and fired on him from that spot. Officer Jasper was struck in the knee by the first blast then the suspect stepped out and shot him in the back four more times. Threats against the beat officer Officer Jasper recently replaced reated conjecture that the assailants may have intended to kill the officer that officer inestead of Officer Jasper. The suspect was never identified.
Officer Jasper was assigned to Police Headquarters and his beat was in the heart of the Little Itally bootlegging district. He was the first black Kansas City police officer to be killed in the line of duty. He was survived by his wife, Henrietta Jasper. Interred: Highland Cemetery
Article by Brent Marchant
Missouri Law Enforcement Memorial