Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Daniel O'Connell was shot and killed while investigating a burglary while off duty at 0230 hours. He had been informed by a woman that two suspicious men were near a home on Dayton Avenue. Officer O'Connell was shot with a .32 caliber handgun while investigating the men. His body was found at approximately 0800 hours. On October 23, 1883 two suspects were pardoned from Chester Illinios State Prison in order that they could be taken back to Minnesota to stand trial for the murder of Officer O'Connell. They had been developed as suspects by St. Paul Police Department detective John Bresset through one of his informants . The mayor of St. Paul and the Ramsey County Attorney got the Governor of Illinois to pardon them from prior burglary convictions in Illinois in order for them to be brought back to St Paul. On Oct 24, 1883 both men plead guilty to the murder of Officer O'Connell and were sentenced to life in Stillwater Prison. Officer O'Connell had served with the agency for nearly one month.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, son, and daughter.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-MN-E79914BE- 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
144 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Police Officer O'Connell served with the Saint Paul Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Saint Paul community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Daniel O'Connell 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 MN, 173 of 293 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 59% of this state's fallen. That is 59 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Saint Paul Police Department, 20 of 33 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.6% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Daniel O'Connell's cause is highlighted.
How Daniel O'Connell Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Daniel O'Connell is highlighted in Jun.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Daniel O'Connell was killed by handgun.
Others Who Wore This Badge
32 officers from Saint Paul Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
