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| Patrolman Nels Hansen
Chicago Police Department
Illinois
End of Watch: Monday, June 14, 1886 Biographical Info
Age: 50
Tour of Duty: 1 year, 6 months
Badge Number: 822 Incident Details
Cause of Death: Bomb
Date of Incident: Tuesday, May 4, 1886
Weapon Used: Explosives; Bomb
Suspect Info: Not available Officer Nels Hansen was one of many officers detailed to disperse protesters near Haymarket Squar on May 4, 1886. Suddenly, a bomb exploded and a gun battle ensued. Officer Hansen suffered severe wounds. Officer Hansen was the seventh of eight officers to die in this incident.
Officer Hansen had served with the agency for 18 months and was assigned to the 4th Precinct. He was survived by his wife and two children.
Eight men were arrested and charged with murder. Seven were convicted of murder and sentenced to death. The other one was sentenced to 15 years. On November 11, 1887, four were executed by hanging. The day before one of the suspects killed himself in his cell with a smuggled dynamite cap which he exploded in his mouth. The other three were pardoned by Governor Altgeld in 1893.
Eight police officers were killed during the Haymarket Riot labor dispute. The officers were at the scene of a civil disorder when the rioters opened fire and threw a bomb into the crowd. Eight police officers suffered fatal wounds and 70 other people were injured by the gunfire and explosion.
The officers who were killed included Patrolman Mathias Degan, Patrolman John Barrett, Patrolman George Miller, Patrolman Timothy Flavin, Patrolman Thomas Redden, Patrolman Nels Hansen and Patrolman Michael Sheehan. Patrolman Timothy Sullivan succumbed to his wounds two years later, on June 13, 1888. Related Line of Duty Deaths | |
