Charles H. Wetzel

Special Police Officer Charles Wetzel succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained three days earlier when he was shot after encountering an armed subject shortly after midnight.

The subject had just been released from prison and had confronted a person singing on K Street, between Fifth Street and Sixth Street. The subject was upset the man was singing at midnight and threatened him with a handgun. Officer Wetzel was nearby and observed the confrontation. He approached the man and ordered him to put his gun down while displaying his badge.

The man yelled at Officer Wetzel and shot him in the abdomen before fleeing. Although the man was identified as a former convict it is not known if he was ever apprehended.