On Friday, December 16th, 1932 at 2:30 pm, five robbers entered the Third Northwestern National Bank at Central and East Hennepin Avenues. They grabbed one of the tellers and Bank Vice President Ray Teuscher at gunpoint. When the teller could not open the door on the safe, the robbers struck him in the head.
At one point in the robbery, one of the robbers opened the front doors and saw Officer Leo Gorski and Officer Ira Evans driving up to the bank. As the officers were getting out of the squad car, the robbers fired at them from 15 feet away inside the bank through the windows. Another robber shot a machine gun from the street corner.
Officer Evans was hit and slumped over the wheel. Officer Gorski stumbled out of the car with his shotgun and collapsed on the street. Two citizens stopped to help the officers and took them to the hospital where Officer Evans died. Officer Evans had ten slugs in his body from two different guns.
The robbers fled with $20,000. As they drove along Larpenteur Avenue, a tire that had been hit in the exchange of gunfire went flat. At Snelling Avenue the tire fell off. The robbers then pulled into Como Park where a green car was waiting for them. Oscar Erickson, 25, an innocent bystander who had no idea who the robbers were, had the bad luck to be driving through the park. As he glanced at the suspects standing next to their car with no tire, they opened fire hitting Mr. Erickson in the head and chest. Mr. Erickson’s passenger, Arthur Zachman, 22, took control of the car and drove to the hospital where Mr. Erickson died later that day.
When officers arrived at Como Park they found the suspects’ vehicle but the suspects were gone. The suspects’ vehicle turned out to have been stolen a year prior. It was believed the suspects had also robbed the North American Bank in the spring. The officers assumed that the robbers had kidnapped a driver of another car to get away.
On Sunday morning, December 18th, at 3:00 am officers were called to a loud party at a St. Paul apartment. Lawrence Barker, who appeared to be drunk, had been thrown out of the party and had taken a gun from his coat and went to a nearby apartment.
Officer George Hammergren entered the apartment where a man sitting in the living room told him that the suspect the police were looking for was in the bedroom. As Officer Hammergren wrestled with Lawrence Barker for his gun Officer Harley Kast entered the room and joined in. They took Lawrence Barker into custody and placed him in their squad car.
When Officer Kast left to call headquarters, Lawrence Barker attacked Officer Hammergren from the back seat, biting him in the wrists. Officer Hammergren dragged Lawrence Barker from the car and they again wrestled. Lawrence Barker got away and a foot pursuit started. Eventually, Officer Hammergren was able to regain custody of Lawrence Barker.
After some time, Officers Hammergren and Kast returned to the apartment. There they found $1,700 still in Third Northwestern National Bank wrappers and $10,000 in securities which had also been stolen. They found the robbery plan written out with the money divided seven ways: $3,200 to go to each of the five robbers; one for the driver for the green car; and one for the “finger man” who had surveyed the bank and drawn up the plan.
On Sunday at 5:00 am, two hours after Lawrence Barker’s capture, Officer Gorski died of his wounds.
Lawrence Barker, aka Lawrence Devol, 27, was identified as the ring leader of the gang of robbers. He was the one with the shotgun that had killed the officers. He was a member of the criminal Ma Barker gang. After being questioned, he admitted to the killings of Officers Evans and Gorski. He was also wanted for the murder of another police officer in Kirksville, Missouri in November of 1930.
The St. Paul Police later arrested Clarence Devol, aka James Colton who was Lawrence Barker’s brother. The Minneapolis Police also arrested Robert Newbern and Leonard Hankins, aka Owen Lewis. Bernard Phillips was also identified as a possible suspect. All of the suspects had lengthy criminal records and aliases.
Lawrence Barker pled guilty on January 10th, 1933, to second-degree murder and was sent to Stillwater State Prison. In May, 1936, he was transferred to St. Peter State Hospital. Two years later he led an escape of 15 inmates and began robbing banks again. He killed another police officer and wounded two more in a shootout in Enid, Oklahoma in July of 1936.
Leonard Hankins, aka Owen Lewis, was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment in Stillwater State Prison. Both Robert Newbern and Clarence Devol were acquitted.
Officer Ira Evans was hired by the Minneapolis Police Department on January 1st, 1924. He had received two commendations: one on November 4, 1926; and one on February 11, 1929. He served at both the Bryant Avenue and East Side Stations. Office Evans was 39 years old and was born on October 6, 1893. He lived at 3010 Johnson Street Northeast with his wife, Irene, who survived him. His funeral was held at the Buchinger Funeral Home at 2535 Central Avenue on Monday, December 19th. Officer Evans was buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.
Officer Leo Gorski was 37 years old. He was hired by the Minneapolis Police Department on January 24, 1924. Officer Gorski was a veteran of World War One and was wounded in France. He lived at 2915 Benjamin Street Northeast and was survived by his wife and their nine year old son. On December 21, funeral services for Officer Gorski were held at Holy Cross Catholic Church at University and 17th Avenues Northeast. He was buried at Sunset Memorial Cemetery.
Story and photographs from Killed in the Line of Duty by Sergeant Tony Miranda, 1998
Very tragic for so many victims!