Peter Poull Jr.
Agency patch
Police Officer

Peter Poull Jr.

Moorhead Police Department — Moorhead, MN
Felonious
End of Watch October 17, 1888
Age 28
The Vigil Panel 9 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Police Officer Peter Poull was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a murder suspect wanted in North Dakota. The man was being watched by other officers. When the suspect saw the other officers he approached them and abducted them at gunpoint. Officer Poull was notified of the incident and went to the scene near the intersection of Front Street (modern-day Center Avenue) and 8th Street. When the suspect saw him he opened fire, striking Officer Poull. The suspect then exchanged shots with the other officers, was wounded, and taken into custody. The man was convicted twice of murdering Officer Poull and was executed on September 20th, 1889.

Survivors

Officer Poull was survived by his wife, 2-week-old daughter, and mother.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-MN-FE942B29
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

138 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Police Officer Poull served with the Moorhead Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Moorhead community. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Moorhead, Clay County, MN
Platform Identity mpd.clay.mn.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 17, 1888
Age 28
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Handgun

Police Officer Peter Poull Jr. 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 MN, 173 of 293 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 59% of this state's fallen. That is 59 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Moorhead Police Department, 2 of 3 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.

Moorhead Police Department
2
of 3 officers
66.7% Felonious
MN — Statewide
173
of 293 officers
59% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Peter Poull Jr.'s cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Peter Poull Jr. Compares

Age at Death
28
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Peter Poull Jr. is highlighted in Oct.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Peter Poull Jr. was killed by handgun.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909

Incident Location

Others Who Wore This Badge

2 officers from Moorhead Police Department are honored on badge.nw.