On June 13, 1942 Officer Arthur J. Morris was investigating a man and woman accused of attempting to pass worthless checks at a store on 14th and Main Street. When he attempted to place them in the car for transport, the man open fired on Morris - fatally wounding him. The two then used the police car for their getaway. Fifteen days later, the man - Alfred George Keast - was tracked down and cornered. He committed suicide before they could arrest him, he left a note confessing to the murder of Morris.

Officer Morris joined the Kansas City Police Department on May 1, 1932. He was survived by his wife and two daughters.