Joseph Zannelli
Agency patch
Patrolman

Joseph Zannelli

Kansas City Police Department — Kansas City, MO
Accident
End of Watch May 19, 1901
Age 32
Tour of Duty 1 yrs 6 mo
Badge 138
The Vigil Panel 17 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Patrolman Joseph Zannelli accidentally shot himself in the right leg while chasing a man wanted for assaulting a streetcar conductor near 5th and Holmes on April 27, 1901. A gangrene infection developed as a result of the wound and Officer Zannelli's leg was amputated, but the gangrene spread throughout his body. He died on May 19, 1901. Patrolman Zannelli had been with the agency for 18 months and was the first Italian-American to serve on the Kansas City Police Department.

In Our Keeping

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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

You barely got started.
Patrolman Zannelli gave the Kansas City Police Department 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the Kansas City community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Patrolman Zannelli.

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

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Kansas City, Cass County, MO
Platform Identity kcpd.jackson.mo.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch May 19, 1901
Tour of Duty 1 yrs 6 mo
Age 32
Badge Number 138
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

The Sacrifice · Accident

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

33,917 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 1901, 18 officers in the United States were lost to accidents, the 121st heaviest of 174 years on record. The heaviest was 1929, with 118.

Every year on record · United States
II

Who

Joseph was 32. 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. Joseph had served 1.5 years; the middle length of service was 6 years.

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

When

May holds 8.6% of these deaths in the United States; August holds the most, 9.5%. Sundays: 14%.

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

Kansas City Police Department has at least 120 officers remembered here, Joseph among them.

Across the years

Patrolman Joseph Zannelli

Kansas City Police Department · End of Watch May 19, 1901

Where the Name Is Cut

National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 30-W

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