Category: History

Appointed: June 18, 1956
End of Watch: September 30, 1972

Today we are thinking about Lieutenant Inno Suek.

Lieutenant Suek was 41 years of age when he was killed in the line of duty.

He was off duty, working part time as a security guard at Hum’s Liquor Store at 2125 Lyndale Avenue South on Saturday, September 30th.

Around 10:00 pm, two suspects entered the store. One suspect walked up behind Lieutenant Suek and pointed a gun at his head. As Lieutenant Suek turned around and fought for control of the gun, he was shot in the chest with a .38-caliber handgun.

Lieutenant Suek died at the scene.

The suspects were apprehended and convicted and the gunman was sentenced to life in prison.

Lieutenant Suek began his career with the Minneapolis Police Department on June 18, 1956 when he was assigned to the Bryant Station as a Patrolman. He was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in 1966 and to the rank of Lieutenant in 1971.

He was very proud of his promotion to Lieutenant and was especially pleased to be returning to the Bryant Station as a Lieutenant after having also served in other precincts. In the words of his former partner, Patrolman Don E. Harju, “It had been his dream to go back to the Bryant Station as a Lieutenant. He got the shift he was hoping for. He really liked the precinct and he liked the men who worked for him.”

One of Lieutenant Suek’s major interests was working with Midwest Challenge which was a halfway house for recovering drug addicts located at 3045 Columbus Avenue.

Jim Good, a counselor at Midwest Challenge said that Lieutenant Suek was instrumental in helping remodel the house.

Only three weeks before he was killed, Lieutenant Suek had donated his time to remodel the kitchen at the Halfway House. Mr. Good said that the thing he liked about him was that “he wasn’t sharp with us when we were doing something wrong. He would take the time to show us how to do things. He was very creative and willing to lend his support. He was not only concerned with the building but with the program itself”.

Lieutenant Suek’s wife Mrs. Rita Suek said that helping at the Halfway House “was just something he saw as an opportunity to help and he took that opportunity. That’s the way that you could characterize him.”

Lieutenant Suek was survived by his wife Rita (married October 24, 1959) and their four children: Peter (12), Peggy (11), Thomas (9), and John (2) in addition to many members of his extended family.

Lieutenant Suek was active with the Scouting Program at the Church of the Visitation in South Minneapolis. He was a former Marine and a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He was also a member of the Minneapolis Police Officers Federation and the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association.

Funeral services were held at the Church of the Visitation on the morning of Wednesday, October 4, 1972 for Lieutenant Suek. He was buried later that day at the National Cemetery at Fort Snelling.

Please take a moment today to remember and honor Lieutenant Inno Suek.

Source and photograph: Minneapolis StarTribune of October 2, 1972

REMEMBERING OFFICER MARVIN A. WICKLUND

Appointed – February 18, 1943
End of Watch – June 6, 1945

Officer Marvin A. Wicklund joined the Minneapolis Police Department on February 18, 1943. Because he was married with three children, and because being a police officer was considered a vital occupation, Officer Wicklund was unsuccessful in his first three attempts to enlist to fight in WWII. On August 1, 1944, he was finally accepted by the Marines.

Officer Wicklund was assigned to Company H, Third Battalion, 29th Marines, 6th Division. He took part in the invasion of Okinawa. In action against Japanese forces on June 6, 1945, he was killed by a sniper. Officer Wicklund was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, Victory Medal World War II and a Presidential Unit Citation with ribbon and star for “extraordinary heroism in action.”

Officer Wicklund was 30 years old at the time of his death. He lived at 3923 Upton Avenue North in Minneapolis with his wife, Mina, and their children. He was buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, also known as the Punchbowl.

Officer Wicklund was the only member of the Minneapolis Police Department ever to be killed while on military duty.

This pin was presented to Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty during the 2002 Law Enforcement Memorial Association luncheon.

This blue enameled lapel pin is in the shape of the State of Minnesota with the image of a Minneapolis Police department shield at the center.

The text reads “6367/ MELISSA SCHMIDT/ AUGUST 1, 2002/ WE WILL REMEMBER”.

Photograph of pin courtesy of the Minnesota State Historical Society

Appointed – January 15, 1923

End of Watch – August 14, 1923

On the evening of August 14th, 1923, Officer Emil Engstrom recognized and stopped a suspect who was wanted in the robbery of a bread wagon driver near the Curtis Hotel earlier in the day.

As Officer Engstrom approached the suspect, the suspect shot him in the neck.  A nearby cab driver transported Officer Engstrom to General Hospital where Officer Engstrom identified the suspect prior to his death.

The suspect fled the scene and a hunt for him ensued. The suspect surrendered to the police two days later. He was found guilty of Officer Engstrom’s murder and was sentenced to life in Stillwater Penitentiary.

At the time of his death, Officer Engstrom was 36 years and old and married. He had only been with the department since January 1st, 1923. His funeral was held August 17th at the Swedish Tabernacle at 7th Street and 8th Avenue South and he was buried at Lakewood Cemetery.

End of Watch – November 25, 1913

Officer William J Lydon succumbed to injuries sustained on November 21st, 1913, when he was struck by a vehicle at the intersection of North First Avenue and North Sixth Street.

Despite being injured, he attempted to continue working throughout the day but ultimately went home on sick leave. His health deteriorated over the weekend and he subsequently died of a brain injury on November 25th, 1913.

Officer Lydon had served with the Minneapolis Police Department for 16 years at the time of his death. He was survived by his wife.

Officer Donald L Risberg collapsed on his Northside beat at the intersection of Lyndale and 42nd Avenues North shortly before 6:00 pm on November 28, 1956.

He died two hours later in General Hospital from a massive heart attack.

Officer Donald L Risberg had been a Minneapolis police officer for 14 years. He was a veteran of World War II.

Officer Risberg lived at 4537 Park Avenue South with his wife and two sons.

He was 44 years old at the time of his death.

The Minneapolis Police Honor Guard and Color Guard also honors officers from other police departments across the nation. This photograph shows then Honor Guard members Sgt. Tomma Freundschuh, Officers Ken Tidgwell, Jen Merrill, Laura Rose Turner, Cory Fitch (Color Guard member) in New York City honoring fallen NYPD Officers Ramos and Liu on December 21, 2014. They are shown near the hearse.

Photograph courtesy of the Minneapolis Police Museum

Appointed – June 14, 1956

End of Watch – September 30, 1972

Lieutenant Inno H Suek was shot and killed during a hold-up on September 30, 1972, at Hum’s Liquor Store at 2126 Lyndale Avenue South.

The suspects entered the store around closing time at 10:00 p.m. There were several customers and employees in the store at the time. One of the suspects walked up behind Lieutenant Suek and pointed a pistol at his head, according to witnesses.

Lieutenant Suek attempted to gain possession of the weapon and was shot once in the chest during the struggle.

Lieutenant Suek was pronounced dead at the scene.

Lieutenant Suek was 41 years old and had served in the Minneapolis Police Department for 16 years. He was buried at Fort Snelling National Ceremony. Lieutenant Suek was survived by his wife, Rita (who passed in 2011) and their three sons Peter, Tom and John, and their daughter, Peggy.

Appointed – January 1, 1948

End of Watch – May 11, 1959

Sergeant William Herkal was shot and killed while responding to a robbery at the Red Owl grocery store on East Lake Street.

The manager had hit the alarm button and another employee in the back called the police. Two detectives arrived first and were able to grab the suspects. However, one of the men broke free and exchanged shots with a detective. As the man ran out of the door he encountered Sergeant Herkal, who was just arriving. He shot Sergeant Herkal three times with a .38 caliber revolver before being shot and wounded by another officer with a riot gun. The other suspect was taken into custody inside the store.

Sergeant Herkal’s killer was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison on June 10, 1959. The other suspect was convicted of third degree murder.

Sergeant Herkal’s funeral services were held on Thursday, May 14, 1959 at the Church of St Helena.  A service was also held at the McDevitt Hauge Chapel.  Sergeant Herkal had served four years in the Navy before joining the Minneapolis Police Department and so was buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.  

Sergeant Herbal was 35 years old at the time of his death.  He was survived by his wife, Marie; their two sons, Steven, 8, and Charles, 7; their two daughters Judy, 12, and Susan, 2; his mother; and his two sisters.