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Sergeant

George Barstad

Detroit Police Department — Detroit, MI

Felonious

End of Watch June 25, 1928

Age 28

Tour of Duty 3 yrs

Badge 1802

The Vigil Panel 55 ›

Gender Male

Incident Media Service The Sacrifice Memorials 1 Department 249

Incident

Sergeant George Barstad was shot and killed when he walked in on a robbery at the Detroit News business office at 615 W. Lafayette Blvd. at 11 a.m. One of six men armed with sawed-off shotguns shot Sergeant Barstad as they held 100 news workers at bay while the cashier's cage was ransacked and $14,000 was stolen. All the suspects escaped at the time. The suspect who killed Sergeant Barstad was the leader of the "Flathead Gang," responsible for hold-ups in various parts of the country. He boasted that he had killed as many as 26 men. In 1927, the subject was convicted of the murder of a payroll guard he had killed in Pittsburgh on Dec. 23, 1925, and was sentenced to death. On Aug. 18, 1927, he and another death row inmate shot their way out of the Allegheny County Jail in Pittsburgh. He and the gang were responsible for several hold-ups and murders (including Barstad's) from the time he escaped until Sept. 13, 1928, when he was recaptured after being shot and seriously wounded by police in a restaurant in Cleveland, Ohio. During his capture, he shot and fatally wounded Patrolman Anthony Wieczorek and Patrolman George E. Effinger of the Cleveland Police Department. The subject recovered from his wounds and was returned to Pennsylvania, where he was executed in the electric chair on Jan. 20, 1929. Sgt. Barstad, who served on the police force for three years, died nearly three weeks after his shooting.

Survivors

He was survived by his sister and six brothers.

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

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Sergeant Barstad gave the Detroit Police Department 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Detroit community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Barstad.

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

Agency

Department Detroit Police Department

Type Police Department

Location Detroit, Wayne County, MI

Platform Identity detpd.wayne.mi.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch June 25, 1928

Tour of Duty 3 yrs

Age 28

Badge Number 1802

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Shotgun

The Sacrifice · Felonious

George 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.

Compare against

Time

In 1928, 201 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 13th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States

Who

George was 28. 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. George had served 3 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 8.1% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Mondays: 13.8%.

By month

By day of the week

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was shotgun, in 7% of these deaths.

Every cause

Weapons recorded