Emil Engstrom
Agency patch
Officer

Emil Engstrom

Minneapolis Police Department — Minneapolis, MN
Felonious
End of Watch August 15, 1923
Age 36
Tour of Duty 8 mo
The Vigil Panel 45 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer Emil Engstrom succumbed to a gunshot wound he received while attempting to arrest a robbery suspect on Grant and Fifth Avenue in Minneapolis. At 11:00 pm, Officer Engstrom, one of the agency's taxicab inspectors, was riding with the president of a taxi company when he observed the suspect wanted for a robbery earlier in the day. When he approached the man, the suspect shot him in the neck and shot the president of the taxi company in the shoulder. The 24-year-old subject, suspected of three murders, fled but surrendered two days later. He was sentenced to life in prison and was denied parole on April 26, 1950. He applied for another parole in 1954, but the result is unknown. Officer Engstrom had only served with the Minneapolis Police Department for eight months.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and a brother.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-MN-B6B3AEB4
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.
Officer Engstrom served with the Minneapolis Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Minneapolis community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Engstrom.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Minneapolis, Hennepin County, MN
Platform Identity mpd.hennepin.mn.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 15, 1923
Tour of Duty 8 mo
Age 36
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Gun

Officer Emil Engstrom 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 Minneapolis Police Department, 32 of 50 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 64% of this agency's fallen.

Minneapolis Police Department
32
of 50 officers
64% Felonious
MN — Statewide
173
of 293 officers
59% 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. Emil Engstrom's cause is highlighted.

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

How Emil Engstrom Compares

Age at Death
36
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
0.7
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Emil Engstrom is highlighted in Aug.

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. Emil Engstrom was killed by gun.

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

Incident Location