Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman John White was shot and fatally wounded at a pawn shop on Vine Street by the notorious outlaw Frank Rande, responsible for the deaths of five men and possibly thirteen more in Missouri, Indiana, and Illinois. Rande was recognized by the pawn broker who summoned Patrolman White. White seized Rande who pulled a revolver and shot him in the thigh. Patrollman White and a store clerk returned fire seriously wounding Rande. Patrolman White was taken home where doctors recommended that his leg be amputated. After doing so, the wound still proved fatal. He succumbed to his injuries two days later. Frank Rande's criminal career started when he escaped from the Iowa Penitentiary where he was serving a sentence for burglary. He was afterwards sent to Michigan City Prison where he served a sentence for burglary under another name. After being released in 1877, he robbed a farmer in Gibson, Indiana, and shot and killed two men and wounded three more who were pursuing him. In August that same year he shot and killed three men who were pursuing him after he robbed a home in St. Elmo, Illinois. His criminal career came to an end three months later when he was taken into custody after killing Patrolman White. Frank Rande was convicted of murdering the three men in Illinois on February 28, 1878, and sentenced to life in prison. He hanged himself in his cell on March 8, 1884. Patrolman White had been with the agency for six months. He is buried in Calvary Cemetery and Mausoleum, Saint Louis, Missouri.
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BO-US-MO-FC27AF0C- Stewardship
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- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Tributes
149 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Patrolman White served with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.
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
Patrolman John Sylvester White 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 Sylvester White's cause is highlighted.
How John Sylvester White Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. John Sylvester White is highlighted in Nov.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. John Sylvester White was killed by handgun.
Others Who Wore This Badge
175 officers from St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
