Sergeant Robert G. Kimberling
Missouri State Highway Patrol
Missouri
End of Watch: Wednesday, October 6, 1999

Biographical Info
Age: 43
Tour of Duty: 14 years
Badge Number: 511

Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Wednesday, October 6, 1999
Weapon Used: Handgun; .357 caliber
Suspect Info: Committed suicide

Sergeant Kimberling was shot and killed after getting in a struggle with a suspected gasoline thief on I-29 in St. Joseph. Sergeant Kimberling stopped the suspect after it was reported that a man with a similar description filled up with gas at a highway truck stop and drove away without paying. During the stop, Sergeant Kimberling approached the passenger side of the vehicle. At the same time, the suspect exited the vehicle and walked to the rear of it. Upon seeing Sergeant Kimberling, the suspect ran back to the driver's seat and tried to get his handgun. Sergeant Kimberling was able to catch up to him and they began to struggle.

The suspect shot at Sergeant Kimberling twice, both shots being stopped by his vest. Sergeant Kimberling went for cover and returned fire, striking the suspect twice in the leg. The suspect shot at Sergeant Kimberling three more times. Two of those rounds were stopped by his vest also, but one was able to fatally penetrate his chest. The suspect then shot and killed himself at the scene. The entire incident occurred in less than one minute. The suspect was being searched for in Wisconsin as a suicide threat. That information, however, was uploaded to NCIC only one minute before Sergeant Kimberling called in the license plate, and was not yet available to dispatchers.

Sergeant Kimberling was posthumously awarded the Citation for Valor by his department. He had been with the agency for 14 years and is survived by his wife and two young children.