Kenneth B. Muir
Agency patch
Marshal

Kenneth B. Muir

Felonious
End of Watch February 13, 1983
Age 53
Tour of Duty 24 yrs
Badge 5200
The Vigil Panel 126 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Marshal Kenneth Muir and Deputy Marshal Robert Cheshire were shot and killed at 5:45 p.m. while attempting to serve an arrest warrant on a man for parole violation and income tax evasion. The suspect was traveling in a vehicle with his son and another man when they were stopped at a roadblock on Stutsman County Road 68 about 1/2 mile north of Medina. All three men were armed with mini-14 rifles. After a 20-minute standoff, a gun battle began between law enforcement, the suspect, and the two other men. During the shootout, Deputy Marshal Chesire and Marshal Muir were mortally wounded. The main suspect escaped but his accomplices were wounded, apprehended, and sentenced to life in prison. Four months later the main suspect shot and killed Sheriff Harold Matthews, of the Lawrence County Sheriff's Department, Arkansas. Sheriff Matthews was participating in a raid in an attempt to arrest the man and was able to shoot and kill the suspect before succumbing to his own mortal wounds.

Survivors

Marshal Muir was survived by his wife and three children.

In Our Keeping

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Stewardship
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Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

24 years. You could have gone home.
Marshal Muir gave the United States Department of Justice 24 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Marshal Muir.

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

Agency

Type Federal Agency
Location Washington, DC
Platform Identity usms.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 13, 1983
Tour of Duty 24 yrs
Age 53
Badge Number 5200
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Rifle

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Kenneth is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% 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
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Compare against
I

Time

In 1983, 106 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 47th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Kenneth was 53. Of the 14,220 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38. Kenneth had served 24 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

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

When

February holds 7.4% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Sundays: 15.2%.

By month
By day of the week
IV

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was rifle, in 5.9% of these deaths.

Every cause
Weapons recorded
V

His people

United States Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service has at least 120 officers remembered here, Kenneth among them.

Across the years

Marshal Kenneth B. Muir

United States Department of Justice - United States Marshals Service · End of Watch February 13, 1983

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 35-W

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