Eli Hickman "Heck" Bruner

United States Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service — Washington, DC

Accident

End of Watch June 21, 1898

Age 39

The Vigil Panel 15 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 312

Incident

Deputy Marshal Bruner drowned while attempting to cross the Grand River near Spavinaw, Oklahoma. He was attempting to serve several warrants for the Muskogee Federal Court before the end of the session. When he arrived at the river, he discovered that the ferryman was on the other side of the river. He tried to swim across the rain-swollen river but drowned. His body was found the following day.

Survivors

Deputy Marshal Bruner was survived by his wife and three children.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-0F2273E9
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: April 2, 2026
Last updated: July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

128 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy U.S. Marshal Bruner served with the United States Department of Justice.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.

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

Agency

Department United States Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service

Location Washington, DC

Platform Identity usms.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 21, 1898

Age 39

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Deputy U.S. Marshal Eli Hickman "Heck" Bruner is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In DC, 454 of 1,419 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32% of this state's fallen. That is 1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.

At United States Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service, 43 of 313 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 13.7% of this agency's fallen.

United States Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service

of 313 officers

13.7% Accident

DC — Statewide

454

of 1,419 officers

32% Accident

Nationwide

10,088

of 32,508 officers

31% Accident