Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Edwin Daniels was shot and killed as he and two Pinkerton private detectives searched for members of the James Younger Gang. They were wanted for a train robbery that occurred three months earlier. The three men were following a trail about three miles from the town of Roscoe when they were ambushed by the two Younger brothers. When the suspects told the men to drop their weapons, Deputy Daniels shot and killed one of them.
The other brother returned fire with a double-barreled shotgun, striking Deputy Daniels in the chest. He then shot and wounded one of the railroad detectives with the other barrel. The suspect then shot and fatally wounded Deputy Daniels with a pistol before fleeing the scene. He was later sentenced to 25 years in a Minnesota prison for a bank robbery and committed suicide after being paroled in 1901.
The brother who was shot and killed was wanted in Texas for the double murder of Deputy James McMahan and Deputy Charles Nichols, of the Dallas County Sheriff's Department, on January 16, 1871. The Younger Gang was also connected to the death of Bureau of Indian Affairs Police Officer Frank West in 1886 by the husband of Bell Starr, an accomplice of the Younger Gang.
Deputy Daniels had served with the agency for five years and is buried in Osceola, St. Clair County, Missouri. During the Civil War he served as a private with the Massachusetts 8th Light Artillery from June 2, 1862, until November 29 , 1862.
Deputy Sheriff Edwin Daniels was shot and killed as he and two Pinkerton private detectives searched for members of the James Younger Gang. They were wanted for a train robbery that occurred three months earlier. The three men were following a trail about three miles from the town of Roscoe when they were ambushed by the two Younger brothers. When the suspects told the men to drop their weapons, Deputy Daniels shot and killed one of them.
The brother who was shot and killed was wanted in Texas for the double murder of Deputy James McMahan and Deputy Charles Nichols, of the Dallas County Sheriff's Department, on January 16, 1871. The Younger Gang was also connected to the death of Bureau of Indian Affairs Police Officer Frank West in 1886 by the husband of Bell Starr, an accomplice of the Younger Gang.
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- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
152 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Deputy Sheriff Daniels gave the St. Clair County Sheriff's Office 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the Osceola community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Edwin P. Daniels 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 MO, 516 of 813 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63.5% of this state's fallen. That is 9.3 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. Edwin P. Daniels's cause is highlighted.
How Edwin P. Daniels Compares
Offender Outcome
One shot and killed
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Edwin P. Daniels is highlighted in Mar.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Edwin P. Daniels was killed by shotgun.