John W. O'Neil
Agency patch
Sergeant

John W. O'Neil

Minneapolis Police Department — Minneapolis, MN
Accident
End of Watch June 7, 1944
Age 47
Tour of Duty 21 yrs
The Vigil Panel 80 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Sergeant John O'Neil drowned while trying to recover a canoe that had gone over St. Anthony Falls. Two of the three men in the canoe had also drowned. Sergeant O'Neil had served with the Minneapolis Police Department for 21 years.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and children.

In Our Keeping

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August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

21 years. You could have gone home.
Sergeant O'Neil gave the Minneapolis Police Department 21 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the Minneapolis community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant O'Neil.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Minneapolis, Hennepin County, MN
Platform Identity mpd.hennepin.mn.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 7, 1944
Tour of Duty 21 yrs
Age 47
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

The Sacrifice · Accident

John is one of 8,275 officers lost to accidents in the United States, 30% of the 27,551 remembered there.

34,117 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

  1. See the roll
  2. See the roll
Compare against
I

Time

In 1944, 48 officers in the United States were lost to accidents, the 99th heaviest of 174 years on record. The heaviest was 1929, with 118.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

John was 47. Of the 7,718 lost to accidents in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 29 and 46; the middle age was 36. John had served 21 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

Age at death
Where he stood among them
Age by years of service
III

When

June holds 7.9% of these deaths in the United States; August holds the most, 9.5%. Wednesdays: 14.5%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Accident deaths account for 30% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the 2nd most common cause.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

Minneapolis Police Department has 50 officers remembered here, John among them.

Across the years
VI

Where

Sergeant John W. O'Neil

Minneapolis Police Department · End of Watch June 7, 1944

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 41-W

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