Leo R. Gorski

Patrolman Leo Gorski and Patrolman Ira Evans were shot and killed when they responded to a bank robbery in progress at Central and East Hennepin Avenues. As they exited their patrol car, two of the suspects opened fire on them with a shotgun and a machine gun. Both officers were fatally wounded. The suspects who were members of the Barker-Karpis Gang escaped but were eventually apprehended. One of the shooters was also responsible for the murder of Marshal John Rose of the Kirksville, Missouri, Police Department on November 17, 1930. The suspect was sentenced to life in prison. In 1934, the suspect was believed to have gone insane and was transferred to a state hospital. Two years later, he led an escape of 15 inmates and continued to rob banks. On July 8, 1936, he shot and killed Police Officer Cal Palmer, of the Enid, Oklahoma, Police Department, after getting drunk in a local bar. Patrolman Gorski was a United States World War I veteran and had served with the Minneapolis Police Department for 11 years. Survivors include his wife and son. He is buried in Sunset Memorial Park Cemetery, Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Barker-Karpis Gang committed violent crimes throughout the American Midwest in the late 1920s and mid-1930s. Members and associates of the gang were responsible for the murders of more than ten law enforcement officers. Please click here to view all the law enforcement officers killed by the Barker-Karpis Gang.