On Tuesday, September 3, 1907 at about 8:00 am, acting City Marshal Albert Kopf responded to a disturbance involving three men fighting. As Marshal Kopf approached, one of the men produced a revolver and shot Marshal Kopf in the chest. Marshal Kopf returned fire striking the suspect in the mouth.

A local citizen responded to Physician A.L. McNay's residence in a buggy to take him to assist Marshal Kopf. Charles Anderson, appeared in the middle of the street and threatened to shoot him if he didn't allow him to use buggy to make his escape. Dr. McNay obtained a shotgun from his house and fired on the suspect striking him twice, once in the hand and once in the face. The 27 year-old suspect, Charles Anderson, fell unconscious to the ground, was taken into custody and held in Union Jail. Marshal Kopf succumbed to his wound three days later, on Friday, September 6, 1907 at 9:15 pm. An autopsy revealed that the bullet had lodged in the marshal's right pleural cavity and the physicians had been unable to stop the resultant internal bleeding.

Marshal Kopf had served as city marshal for only 10 days at the time of his death taking the place of Marshal Raby, who had accepted a position as a detective with the Frisco railroad. Marshal Kopf was survived by his wife and four young children. Interred: Pacific Cemetery, Pacific, MO.