In the midst of the Great Depression in December 1932, a 29-year-old man named Oscar Erickson was filled with hope, having finally secured a job selling Christmas wreaths door-to-door in Saint Paul, Minnesota, after months of unemployment. On the afternoon of December 16th, accompanied by his friend Arthur Zachman, Erickson was making his rounds in the neighborhood west of Como Park.
Their paths, however, were fated to cross with the notorious Barker-Karpis Gang, who were fleeing the scene of a violent bank robbery in Minneapolis.
The gang's getaway car had a punctured tire and became disabled near Como Park. As they were transferring their stolen money to another vehicle, a concerned motorist stopped to offer help and was menacingly told to leave. Shortly after, Erickson and Zachman approached in their car. Erickson, likely curious about the suspicious scene, slowed down to get a better look. This act of curiosity enraged one of the gang members, Fred Barker, who, according to later accounts from his accomplices, opened fire on Erickson's vehicle without hesitation.
A bullet struck Oscar Erickson in the head, and he slumped over in his seat. The car continued to move forward until Zachman managed to gain control and guide it to a stop, out of the gunmen's line of sight. Zachman then took the wheel and rushed his unconscious friend to a nearby police station. From there, an ambulance transported Erickson to Ancker Hospital. He succumbed to his injuries in the early hours of the next morning without ever regaining consciousness.
Fred Barker, the man identified as Oscar Erickson's killer, was never brought to justice for the murder. He remained at large for several more years until he was killed in a shootout with federal agents in Florida in early 1935. For Erickson's family, there was no legal closure for the senseless act of violence that cut short a young man's life on a cold December day.
