Officer John Francis McDermott

End of Watch : May 22, 1923

Officer John Francis McDermott

Rosemount Police Department

Died - May 22, 1923

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On Monday night May 21st, 1923 Officer McDermott was working as night watchman in Rosemount. He was filling in a shift for his fellow Police Officer Joe Heinen. According to McDermott he observed two suspicious men that stopped their car near the creamery and walked into town arousing his suspicion. Having previous knowledge of three unknown men that had previously threatened to "get" the Rosemount "cop" from fellow Police Officer Heinen who was the regular night watchman, McDermott called on three fellow Police Officer's and concealed himself near Rosemount's First National Bank.

Shortly afterwards a car drove up to the Hynes filling station. McDermott believed that the three suspects in the vehicle were the same ones that had made the threats and started running across the street toward Garaghty's store to investigate. One of his fellow Police Officer's that responded to the incident at that time and who remains unknown observed McDermott and mistook him for one of the possible suspects. That Officer commanded McDermott to stop. When McDermott did not respond to the verbal commands the Officer shot a warning shot into the air. McDermott continued to ignore the Officer's commands at which time the Officer shot McDermott several times with a shotgun, wounding him in his lungs and his head. Upon hearing the gun shots, the three suspects got into their vehicle and fled the scene. Officer's discovered that the victim of the gun shot wounds was their fellow Officer McDermott and transported him to Sanford Hospital in Farmington, MN where he had died from his wounds on May 22, 1923. He was 27 years old and unmarried.

William F Wilson

Emil Engstrom