Roll of Honor
Incident
Police Officer John McKenna was shot and killed at 618 N Whittier Street while investigating three brothers, ages 19, 20, and 21, he believed were stealing copper streetcar wire. He had observed a car believed to be used in the thefts and stopped the three occupants. When he searched the men he located a revolver on one of them, at which time he escorted them to a nearby business. One of the men asked if he could get a drink of water and Officer McKenna allowed him to do so. As the man walked behind Officer McKenna he produced a small handgun hidden in his waistband and shot him in the back of the head, killing him. The three men fled the scene and went to their home. Officer William Dillon, who received a description of the car while checking in during his rounds, recognized it as a car belonging to the brothers. He went to their home and spotted them in the garage. As he entered the garage at gunpoint he was attacked from behind with a hatchet and a shovel. The three suspects beat and hacked him to death and then buried his body in a shallow grave. One suspect was apprehended. The other two were apprehended five months later; one in St. Louis and the other in Kansas. Two were convicted of murder. One was sentenced to hang and the other to life. The one sentenced to hang soon had his sentence commuted to life. The third suspect died in the county jail in Topeka, Kansas on October 18, 1918, from influenza. He was being held on a federal charge for robbing a post office before being returned to Missouri. Another escaped from prison on April 23, 1939, and was captured in New Orleans on October 24, 1939, when he was caught burglarizing a tavern. He was returned to the Missouri Penitentiary where on January 6, 1941, he was pardoned by Governor Lloyd C. Stark. The other suspect was paroled on June 30, 1951, and returned to prison on August 11, 1953, for violating his parole.
Survivors
Police Officer McKenna was survived by his wife and father.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MO-B62221B5- 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.
Police Officer McKenna served with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the St. Louis community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer McKenna.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer John McKenna 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%.
At St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, 112 of 176 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63.6% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John McKenna's cause is highlighted.
How John McKenna Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John McKenna is highlighted in Apr.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. John McKenna was killed by handgun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
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