In the early hours of a Thursday morning in South Bend, Indiana, Patrolman Samuel Cooper was making his rounds when he spotted a man exiting a closed saloon at 329 South Michigan Street. It was 2:00 a.m. on October 25, 1900, and the officer, a three-year veteran of the South Bend Police Department, moved to apprehend the suspect.
As Patrolman Cooper, age 41, attempted to make the arrest, the man suddenly drew a. 32 caliber handgun and fired, striking the officer in the hip.
Despite his injury, Cooper managed to return fire, hitting the assailant. However, the suspect was able to flee the scene. The wounded officer had done enough; another officer discovered the suspect a few blocks away, covered in blood from the gunshot wound Cooper had inflicted, and placed him under arrest.
For a week, Patrolman Cooper fought for his life, but ultimately succumbed to an infection from the gunshot wound. He left behind a wife and two sons.
The man who shot him was convicted of his murder and sentenced to life in prison on June 21, 1901. In a turn of events, the convicted killer was paroled in 1911.
