Deputy Sheriff Robert J. Clarke

Robert J. Clarke

Deputy Sheriff Robert Clarke succumbed to gunshot wounds he received at 33 East Maryland Street in Saint Paul on February 26, 1919.

While serving a warrant around 6:15 p.m., the suspect pulled out a gun and fired at deputies. One deputy was struck twice. While Deputy Clarke and another deputy attempted to gain control of the gun, Deputy Clarke was shot in the leg.

Deputy Clarke's gunshot wound seemed to be a surface wound, but he developed a blood clot and died at St. Joseph's Hospital in Saint Paul on March 31, 1919. The other officer recovered from his wounds.

The suspect was apprehended. He was deemed incompetent and spent the rest of his life in the Saint Peter State Hospital, dying in 1966.

Deputy Clarke had served with the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department for four years. He was survived by his wife, five daughters, and three sons.