Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer Robert Jester was shot and killed by two bank robbers in a shootout in downtown Miami. He and another officer recognized two men wanted for a bank robbery in Reading, Pennsylvania, as they entered the Seminole Hotel at 53 E. Flagler Street. When the officers ordered the men to stop they turned and opened fire fatally wounding Officer Jester. Officer Jester's partner returned fire killing one suspect and wounding the other. That wounded suspect escaped but was apprehended one hour later. The captured suspect, a 17-year-old boy, was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. In 1938 he was given the nickname Houdini after he escaped three times in one year. Each time he was captured within a few weeks in Colorado, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania. In 1952 he was added to the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list after he escaped from a prison work farm. He was apprehended one year later in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. He was released from prison in 1958. Officer Jester had served with the Miami Police Department for 10 years.
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BO-US-FL-6983CE7A- 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.
Officer Jester gave the Miami Police Department 10 years.
Thank you for your service to the Miami community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Officer Jester.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Officer Robert Lee Jester 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 FL, 539 of 1,008 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 53.5% of this state's fallen. That is 53.5 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Miami Police Department, 20 of 39 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 51.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Robert Lee Jester's cause is highlighted.
How Robert Lee Jester Compares
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Robert Lee Jester is highlighted in Nov.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Robert Lee Jester was killed by gun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
38 officers from Miami Police Department are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
