In the quiet town of Moscow, Idaho, a violent outburst shattered the peace on August 4, 1901, leading to the death of a respected lawman. The victim was Wallace E. Cool, a 33-year-old White male who served as a Latah County Deputy Sheriff. On that fateful Sunday, a man named William Steffen rode his horse into town and began a seemingly random shooting spree.
Steffen's rampage began with the fatal shooting of the town's doctor and the wounding of a local storekeeper.
As chaos erupted, Deputy Cool responded to the crisis. While attempting to apprehend Steffen, the deputy was shot and fell from his horse. The gunman, having already claimed one life and severely injured another, managed to flee the immediate scene and barricaded himself in his own home.
In the wake of the shootings, the town sheriff quickly assembled a posse of citizens to pursue the armed and dangerous suspect. They surrounded Steffen's house, leading to a tense standoff. A shootout ensued between the posse and the holed-up gunman. The confrontation ultimately ended when Steffen took his own life. Deputy Wallace E. Cool succumbed to his gunshot wound the following day, on August 5, 1901. He was survived by his wife.
