Officer William Scobee was shot and mortally wounded by robbery suspects while interrogating a man in a car.
On the evening of Saturday, May 8, 1920, two men knocked at the door of an apartment over a butcher shop at 800 East 14th announcing that they were delivering a telegram. When the door was opened they forced their way in and ransacked the apartment. The men were fleeing from the scene when they encountered Officer Scobee, a block from the robbery scene, near 14th and Campbell Streets who was in the process of interrogating a man seated in a car at that location. Witnesses saw the three men approach and shoot Officer Scobee, who sustained a gunshot wound to the abdomen, the bullet passed through his body and exited his back. The men got into the vehicle and left the scene. Officer Scobee was pronounced dead on May 9, 1920 at 3:45 pm at General Hospital. The suspects, who claimed to only speak Italian, were taken into custody from the vehicle located shortly after the shooting. They were identified by the female victim of the robbery, a city chauffeur and residents of the neighborhood who witnessed the shooting and subsequently charged with first degree murder. The robbery and murder charges were later dismissed.
Officer Scobee had served with the Kansas City Police Department for 7 months and had served on the St Joseph's Police Department for many years prior. He was survived by his wife, Ethel, and a daughter, Netta. Interred: Lipp Cemetery, Putnam County, Missouri.
Article by Brent Marchant