Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Henry Ennen was shot and killed while attempting to arrest three men who had just robbed the Buckley State Bank.
Deputy Ennen caught up to the suspects after they crashed their vehicle during their getaway. The three suspects immediately opened fire on Deputy Ennen. He returned fire and wounded one of the suspects. During the shootout, Deputy Ennen ran out of ammunition and put his hands up to surrender. When he did so one of the men shot him several times.
The two suspects who weren't wounded fled the scene but were arrested a short time later. Deputy Ennen's killer, 36, was convicted of his murder and sentenced to 32 years. His two companions pled guilty to robbery and were sentenced to one year to life.
On September 14, 1939, Deputy Ennen's killer and two other inmates put a strong sedative in the coffee of five guards who worked the towers. After they fell asleep at their posts, the three placed a ladder against the prison wall and escaped. One guard who was still semi conscience sounded the alarm and all three were caught within 200 yards of the prison. The five guards were rushed to a hospital where three were listed in serious condition and the other two in critical condition. All five survived. The three inmates were charged with five counts of attempted murder. They had been stealing the sedative from the prison hospital a little at the time, over a period of nine months, so no one would notice.
Deputy Ennen was survived by his wife.
Survivors
Deputy Ennen was survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-60EE87F2- 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
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Deputy Sheriff Ennen served with the Iroquois County Sheriff's Department.
Thank you for your service to the Watseka community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Ennen.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Henry M. Ennen is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In IL, 842 of 1,318 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63.9% of this state's fallen. That is 9.7 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Henry M. Ennen's cause is highlighted.
How Henry M. Ennen Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to 32 years
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Henry M. Ennen is highlighted in Jul.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Henry M. Ennen was killed by handgun; revolver.