Dennis M. O'Donnell
Vigo County Sheriff's Department
Monday, July 22, 1912
Served: 3 months
Badge #:
Not Included
Not Included
Incident Details
Cause of Death:Gunfire
Date/Time of Incident:
Monday, July 22, 1912
11:00 am
Incident to Death Duration:
Same day
Incident Location:
1200 South 13th½ Street, Terre Haute
Incident County:
Vigo
Incident Township:
Harrison
Weapon Used:
Shotgun
Suspect Disposition:
Charges dismissed
Burial Place:
Saint Joseph Cemetery, Terre Haute
Constable Dennis O'Donnell was shot and killed while serving a writ of replevin at a residence in Terre Haute.
After informing the homeowner's daughter the writ had been issued for outstanding installment payments of eight dollars for two blankets, her father emerged from a bedroom where he was sleeping.
As Constable O'Donnell pushed the daughter aside, a struggle ensued and he beat the father over the head with his revolver. The daughter handed a shotgun to her father who shot Constable O'Donnell point-blank in the neck, killing him instantly.
The 49-year-old man was charged with first-degree murder and claimed he was defending his daughter. The first trial, in a change of venue to Clay County, ended in a mistrial with a hung jury. During a retrial over a year later, the charge was dismissed when two witnesses could not be located.
Constable O'Donnell, from Terre Haute, was the Harrison Township constable elected to a four-year term in office. He was survived by his wife and four children.
Historical Note Constables were created during the Indiana Territory and continued to exist after statehood in 1816. Depending on the time period, they were either appointed or elected to their positions at the township level with one- or four-year terms in office. Constables had police powers to make arrests with countywide jurisdiction. Since 2004, constables are only authorized by state law in Marion County townships having a small claims court where they are elected to four-year terms in office. |
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This officer, discovered in 2019, has not been submitted for consideration as an eligible line of duty death to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund by the Vigo County Sheriff's Department.
Read more on our research on Remembering Our Fallen Township Constables in our News Release. 
Vigo County Sheriff's Department
Constable O'Donnell