John Sullivan, a 48-year-old White male, was a man who had made his share of enemies. As the former chief of police in Spokane, Washington, he was known for his strict enforcement of the law. On the evening of January 5, 1911, Sullivan was at his home, sitting in his living room and reading the newspaper. Unseen, an assailant lurked outside his house, took aim, and fired a single shot through the window. The bullet struck Sullivan in the back, passing through his right lung.
Despite the grave wound, Sullivan managed to call the police for help before collapsing. He was rushed to Sacred Heart Hospital, where he died two days later from a pulmonary embolism.
The investigation into Sullivan's murder uncovered a number of potential suspects, reflecting the turbulent nature of his career. One of the prime suspects was S.J. Hanley, a man whom Sullivan had arrested for armed robbery years earlier. During that arrest, Hanley had shot and wounded Sullivan. It was rumored that Hanley had vowed revenge and had been seen in the Spokane area around the time of the murder. Another prominent theory centered on the Industrial Workers of the World also known as the 'Wobblies.' Sullivan had clashed fiercely with the IWW during their free speech campaigns, leading to widespread arrests and animosity. Sullivan himself, from his hospital bed, accused 'The Spokane Press,' a local newspaper that had been critical of his leadership, of being responsible for the attack. His brother believed the motive was to prevent Sullivan from testifying about corruption within the city government.
For years, the assassination of John Sullivan remained officially unsolved, a cold case that haunted Spokane. A significant reward was offered for information, but no arrests were ever made. Then, 13 years after the murder, a development emerged from an unlikely source. A man in Alabama, after being killed by his wife, was revealed to have bragged about numerous murders, including the killing of a police chief in Spokane. Spokane police investigated this claim and, based on details he had shared with a friend that were not public knowledge, became convinced that this man had been Sullivan's assassin. Despite this conclusion, a definitive motive or any connection between the man and Sullivan was never established, leaving a lingering sense of mystery surrounding the death of the former police chief.
