Roll of Honor
Incident
Park Policeman John Gardner was struck and instantly killled by a bolt of lightning at Lafayette Park during an afternoon electric storm. The storm caused considerable damage to the southwestern portion of St. Louis.
Rest in peace always knowing that your sacrifice will never be forgotten.
Detective Cpl/3 Steven Rizzo Delaware State Police (Retired) August 1st, 2020
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MO-06A46984- 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
138 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Park Policeman Gardner served with the St. Louis Park Rangers.
Thank you for your service to the St. Louis community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Park Policeman John Gardner is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In MO, 237 of 813 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 29.2% of this state's fallen. That is 1.8 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At St. Louis Park Rangers, 1 of 2 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Gardner's cause is highlighted.
How John Gardner Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John Gardner is highlighted in Aug.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from St. Louis Park Rangers are honored on badge.nw.
