Roll of Honor
Incident
Patrolman David McKee drowned while attempting to rescue a teenage boy who had fallen into the Rock River from the North Western Railroad trestle in downtown Fort Atkinson. When Patrolman McKee arrived at the scene he stripped off his gunbelt, coat, and shoes as he ran to the river before jumping into the river and swimming out to the boy. He became exhausted while struggling with the panicking boy in the frigid water and they both went under the surface. The boy's body was recovered thirty minutes later and Patrolman McKee's body was found about two hours later. Patrolman McKee had served with the Fort Atkinson Police Department for 14 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, six sons, mother, brother, and three sisters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-WI-9BB6E120- 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.
Patrolman McKee gave the Fort Atkinson Police Department 14 years.
Thank you for your service to the Fort Atkinson community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman McKee.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Patrolman David A. McKee, Sr. 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 WI, 124 of 317 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 39.1% of this state's fallen. That is 8.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. David A. McKee, Sr.'s cause is highlighted.
How David A. McKee, Sr. Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. David A. McKee, Sr. is highlighted in Apr.