Herbert L. Goss

Cape Girardeau Police Dept. — Cape Girardeau, MO

Felonious

End of Watch March 10, 1961

Age 67

The Vigil Panel 96 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 4

Incident

Auxiliary Sergeant Goss and Patrolman Donald Crittenden were shot when they stopped two escaped convicts in a stolen car. Sergeant Goss was shot to death as he reached the drivers window. Patrolman Crittenden was shot in the abdomen by the other convict as he walked to the passenger side of the car. Officer Crittenden died from his wounds at Southeast Missouri Hospital eleven days later. Both convicts along with a third convict had escaped from a jail in San Luis Obispo, California, on Febuary 28, 1961. Before reaching Missouri they robbed a supermarket and a liquor store in New Mexico and Kansas. The third suspect was left behind at a supermarket they were about to rob in Cape Girardeau when they were spotted by Sergeant Goss and Patrolman Crittenden. After they shot the two officers they stole a car from a group of college students at Southeast Missouri State College. Still later they beat up a farmer in Glen Allen, Missouri, and took his car. They then exchanged gunfire with the Greenville, Missouri Sheriff and a State Trooper before escaping. All of these events took place the same day Officers Goss and Crittenden were shot. The next day State Troopers arrested one of the suspects at a service station near Cape Girardeau. Hours later the second suspect was captured in a wooded area near Grassy, Missouri. Both suspects were convicted of murdering Sergeant Goss and Patrolman Crittenden. One was sentenced to life in prison. The other one was executed in the gas chamber on July 26, 1963. Auxiliary Sergeant Goss was a WWI veteran.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and two step-daughters.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-MO-DF33C75F
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: April 2, 2026
Last updated: July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Auxiliary Sergeant Goss served with the Cape Girardeau Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Cape Girardeau community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Auxiliary Sergeant Goss.

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

Agency

Department Cape Girardeau Police Dept.

Location Cape Girardeau, MO

Platform Identity cgpd.capegir.mo.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch March 10, 1961

Age 67

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Gun; Unknown type

Offender Executed in 1963

Auxiliary Sergeant Herbert L. Goss is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 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 9.3 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.

At Cape Girardeau Police Dept., 5 of 5 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.

Cape Girardeau Police Dept.

of 5 officers

100% Felonious

MO — Statewide

516

of 813 officers

63.5% Felonious

Nationwide

17,623

of 32,508 officers

54.2% Felonious