Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman Clark Irven was beaten to death by a man he had arrested and was escorting to jail. Patrolman Irven was investigating a domestic disturbance involving the suspect and his wife when he placed the suspect under arrest when he refused to quite down. Just outside of the jail the suspect began resisting the officer, grabbed a sandbag and struck Patrolman Irven twice. The blows produced a concussion of the brain and lungs from which the officer died an hour later. The suspect was convicted of Patrolman Irven's murder and sentenced to 99 years in prison. He was pardoned by Governor Dockery in 1903.
Survivors
Patrolman Irven was survived by his wife, mother, and seven children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MO-33F3EEE2- 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
137 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Patrolman Irven gave the Canton Police Department 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the Canton community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman Clark Minor Irven 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 MO, 516 of 813 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63.5% of this state's fallen. That is 63.5 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Clark Minor Irven's cause is highlighted.
How Clark Minor Irven Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Clark Minor Irven is highlighted in Oct.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Clark Minor Irven was killed by blunt object.
Others Who Wore This Badge
0 officers from Canton Police Department are honored on badge.nw.