Roll of Honor
Incident
Reserve Officer Louis Wells was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a man for carrying a concealed weapon. Officer Wells had stopped the man on North Main Street, a half-mile north of the bridge over the Kansas City Southern Railroad tracks. The man was apprehended, convicted of second-degree murder, and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. On November 22nd, 1916, he escaped from the penitentiary. On May 27th, 1917, he was shot and killed in a gunfight with police in Greenville, Mississippi.
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BO-US-MO-C4B7BB9F- 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
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Reserve Officer Wells served with the Joplin Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Joplin community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Reserve Officer Wells.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Reserve Officer Louis S. Wells 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 Joplin Police Department, 17 of 21 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 81% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Louis S. Wells's cause is highlighted.
How Louis S. Wells Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Louis S. Wells is highlighted in Jun.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Louis S. Wells was killed by gun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
20 officers from Joplin Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
