Bret Nathan Sunner
Agency patch
Police Officer

Bret Nathan Sunner

Cedar Rapids Police Department — Cedar Rapids, IA
Felonious
End of Watch June 8, 1984
Age 25
Tour of Duty 3 yrs
Badge 380
The Vigil Panel 128 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer Bret Sunner was shot and killed while responding to a domestic disturbance. His 45-year-old killer was sentenced to life imprisonment. He died in prison on January 4, 2015. Officer Sunner had served with the Cedar Rapids Police Department for 3 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his parents and two sisters.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-IA-4F7ABCFE
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Police Officer Sunner gave the Cedar Rapids Police Department 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Cedar Rapids community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Sunner.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Cedar Rapids, Linn County, IA
Platform Identity crpd.linn.ia.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 8, 1984
Tour of Duty 3 yrs
Age 25
Badge Number 380
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Shotgun

Police Officer Bret Nathan Sunner is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In IA, 129 of 226 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 57.1% of this state's fallen. That is 57.1 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Cedar Rapids Police Department, 3 of 6 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.

Cedar Rapids Police Department
3
of 6 officers
50% Felonious
IA — Statewide
129
of 226 officers
57.1% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Bret Nathan Sunner's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Bret Nathan Sunner Compares

Age at Death
25
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
3
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Bret Nathan Sunner is highlighted in Jun.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Bret Nathan Sunner was killed by shotgun.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909