Died:
October 18, 1858
Age: 55
Salt Lake City Police Department
Homicide: Handgun
Officer William Cooke was the first Utah police officer to be murdered in the line of duty.
On the afternoon of October 13, Officer Cooke was on duty and alone at the city jail. Two men came to the jail and demanded the release of an inmate. When Officer Cooke refused, one of the men shot him in the thigh. Officer Cooke died five days later. The killer fled Salt Lake City. He was shot and killed October 21, near Fort Bridger, Wyoming, by a Salt Lake mail carrier familiar with the murder. Officer Cooke was married and the father of six children. He is buried in Salt Lake City Cemetery.
The bronze memorial name plaque of Officer William Cooke is sponsored by the Salt Lake City Honorary Colonels.