Trooper James M. Froemsdorf

James M. Froemsdorf

Trooper James Froemsdorf was shot and killed with his own weapon after making a traffic stop.

During the stop, he placed the driver in handcuffs and in the front seat of his cruiser so he could search the vehicle. He located identification and determined that the suspect was wanted on four warrants out of Texas.

Meanwhile, the suspect was able to compress his hand, due to an old injury, to the size of his wrist and squeeze out of one of the handcuffs. The suspect then grabbed Trooper Froemsdorf's handgun and shot him several times.

The suspect was later apprehended and sentenced to death. He was executed on July 11, 2001.

Trooper Froemsdorf was a United States Army Vietnam War Military Police veteran and served with the Missouri State Highway Patrol for nine years, assigned to Troop C. He is survived by his wife and three daughters.