Roll of Honor
Incident
Police Officer Cal Palmer was shot and killed after he and his partner responded to a suspicious person call at the German Village on the corner of Grand Avenue and Broadway Avenue in Enid. The bar owner had been tipped off that his bar was going to be robbed and had been keeping watch on non-regular patrons. When the officers arrived, they asked a suspicious man to come with them. He asked to finish his beer first, and the officers let him. As he finished his beer, he slammed it on the table and at the same time lifted a gun next to him in the booth and started firing, instantly killing Officer Palmer and wounding the other officer. The suspect fled but was chased by other officers and killed in a shootout. Unbeknownst to Officer Palmer at the time, the suspect was an escapee from a mental hospital in Minnesota. A member of the Karpis-Barker gang, he had been responsible for the murder of three other law enforcement officers: Marshal John Rose, of the Kirksville, Missouri, Police Department, on November 17, 1930, and Patrolman Officer Ira Evans and Patrolman Leo Gorski, of the Minneapolis, Minnesota, Police Department, on December 16, 1932. Officer Palmer had served with the Enid Police Department for two years and was also Major County Deputy Sheriff. Survivors include his wife and two sons. He is buried in Memorial Park Cemetery, Enid, Oklahoma. The Barker-Karpis Gang committed violent crimes throughout the American Midwest in the late 1920s and mid-1930s. Members and associates of the gang were responsible for the murders of more than ten law enforcement officers. Please click here to view all the law enforcement officers killed by the Barker-Karpis Gang.
Survivors
Survivors include his wife and two sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-OK-6913A07A- 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 Palmer gave the Enid Police Department 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Enid community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Palmer.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Cal U. Palmer 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 OK, 403 of 582 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 69.2% of this state's fallen. That is 69.2 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Enid Police Department, 3 of 4 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 75% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Cal U. Palmer's cause is highlighted.
How Cal U. Palmer Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Cal U. Palmer is highlighted in Jul.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Cal U. Palmer was killed by handgun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
3 officers from Enid Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
