Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Joseph Bergeron was shot and killed at approximately 7:00 am while attempting to question two men in connection with an earlier carjacking incident.
He located the men near the intersection of English Street and Arlington Avenue, in St. Paul, approximately 10 minutes after responding to reports of the carjacking. As he exited his patrol car, one of the men approached him and immediately opened fire, fatally wounding him.
A passerby who heard the shots and witnessed the shooter running from the scene immediately went to Sergeant Bergeron's aid and used his radio to call for assistance. Sergeant Bergeron died at the scene.
Approximately four hours after this shooting, an officer assigned to the crime scene's perimeter noticed one of the suspects walking out of the nearby woods near Ivy and Prosperity Avenues. The officer confronted the suspect, who then struck him in the face with a toolbox, breaking his nose and fracturing his eye sockets. The officer was able to fatally shoot the suspect during the ensuing struggle over control of the officer's weapon.
The second suspect surrendered to officers two hours later without further incident. He was subsequently sentenced to 35 years in prison.
Sergeant Bergeron had served with the Maplewood Police Department for 26 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and twin daughters.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-MN-40949B4D- Stewardship
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- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
26 years. You could have gone home.
Sergeant Bergeron gave the Maplewood Police Department 26 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Maplewood community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Bergeron.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant Joseph Anthony Bergeron 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 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 4.8 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. Joseph Anthony Bergeron's cause is highlighted.
How Joseph Anthony Bergeron Compares
Offender Outcome
Shot and killed; second suspect 35 years
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Joseph Anthony Bergeron is highlighted in May.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Joseph Anthony Bergeron was killed by gun; unknown type.