Roll of Honor
Incident
Special Policeman Henry Kaepernick was accidentally shot and killed by a guard at the Faribault jail.
Several days earlier, the Younger brothers, notorious bankrobbers and accomplices of Jesse James, had been captured and brought to the jail. Because of fears that the brothers' accomplices would attempt to break them out of jail using a ruse, police officers were told not to visit the jail without calling first.
For an unknown reason, Special Policeman Kaepernick did not receive this message. In the early morning hours of October 3, 1876, he approached the jail and identified himself as an officer. The guard, who was not expecting him, ordered him to halt. Special Policeman Kaepernick, surprised that the guard did not recognize him, again identified himself as a policeman and reached to pull back his jacket and reveal his badge. The guard mistook his gesture as an attempt to draw a weapon and fired, striking Special Policeman Kaepernick in the chest and killing him instantly.
Special Policeman Kaepernick was 29 years old.
Survivors
He was survived by his mother, step-father, and several brothers and sisters, and he is buried at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Faribault.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MN-45859A0B- 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
150 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Special Policeman Kaepernick served with the Faribault Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Faribault community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Special Policeman Henry William Kaepernick 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 MN, 84 of 293 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 28.7% of this state's fallen. That is 2.3 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Faribault Police Department, 2 of 3 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Henry William Kaepernick's cause is highlighted.
How Henry William Kaepernick Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Henry William Kaepernick is highlighted in Oct.
Others Who Wore This Badge
2 officers from Faribault Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
