January 21, 2021, marked a century since the tragic death of Samuel Leo “Lee” Fahler. Lee’s death was also the Minot Police Department’s most recent line of duty death. The fourth, of five, law enforcement line of duty deaths in the history of Ward County, all of which occurred between 1918 and 1921.

Originally from Iowa, Lee initially came to the Minot ahead of his wife Wanda (who went by Wanie) and their young son Myron, in search of work. Before joining the Minot Police Department in November of 1920, Lee worked with the Northwestern Hide and Fur Company, drove trucks for J B Reed Transfer and Storage, and for a time ran his own trucking business called Fahler Transfer Company. Despite his inexperience in policing, Lee held the respect of the community and was well liked by his fellow officers.

In his short career, Lee developed a reputation of being an officer who served with integrity. In early January 1921, with less than two months on the job, Lee accompanied Police Chief George McDonald on investigation of an initially unbelievable report. Someone called in that a railroad police officer was operating an illegal liquor still in his home. As the officers arrived, they could clearly see from the outside the home’s living room window, the railroad cop operating the unlawful contraption. The two lawmen managed to arrest the man, but not without a fight. A few bumps and bruises, and a damaged uniform jacket worn by Chief McDonald later, the man was in custody and a story of local interest was shared in the Ward County Independent.

Prohibition had been the law in North Dakota since the state’s founding in 1889 and had proven extremely difficult to enforce. With few resources and small budgets addressing the state’s restrictions on liquor production and distribution, North Dakota law enforcement’s struggles to keep up could have served a warning to those in the federal government who sought to make prohibition the law nationwide. Unfortunately, Congress did not seem to take heed of those early lessons learned in supposedly “dry” areas of the country. Despite arrest after arrest, and innumerable gallons upon gallons of illicit booze seized throughout North Dakota for three decades, not much of a dent was made in the illegal liquor trade. Still federal prohibition went into effect on January 17, 1920. Attempts at federally curbing the illegal alcohol trade soon proved to be similarly plagued with problems for the short-staffed Bureau of Prohibition. Local police, sheriffs, and state and federal agents in North Dakota still did their duty to do what they could upholding unpopular liquor laws.

At 3:00 am on January 20, 1921 Lee and Officer Christopher Larson reported for duty at the Minot Police Department in the basement of City Hall, then located at 14 1st Ave SW. Lee immediately started patrolling downtown and noticed a vehicle that he didn’t recognize from the area driving seemingly aimlessly through the streets and alleys. Keeping a short distance, Lee watched the vehicle, which came to a stop in front of a house toward the north end the 300 block of 2nd Street SE (the current location of Milton Young Towers). At about 4:15, the driver got out of the vehicle and started walking around. Emerging from the shadows of a residence in the 200 block of 3rd Ave SE Lee stepped forward, stopped the man asked him about the possession of the car. The man denied knowing anything about the car and demanded to know why Lee was following him. Knowing the man was lying about the car, Lee arrested him for providing false information, a lower level municipal ordinance violation at the time.

The man’s demeanor changed from confrontation to negotiation with a bribe attempt. The man, now growing desperate, offered Lee what money he had on him, about thirty dollars to let him go. This amount of money represented a little over a week’s pay for a Minot Patrolman at the time and would be about $455 today. Lee told the man “You don’t have enough money to buy me” and turned his attention to the vehicle. In doing so, Lee turned his back to the arrestee, who he had not yet searched. In the car, Lee quickly found the source of the man’s anxiety, a large stash of illegal Canadian whiskey. Knowing he was facing substantial prison time, the would-be whiskey runner pulled a Lugar pistol from under his jacket and shot Lee in the back, striking him twice. Falling to the ground, Lee returned fire with three shots as the man ran back towards the car. The man then ran west from the scene, and Lee was not sure if his bullets found their mark. The commotion woke the otherwise sleepy part of town and calls to the police department flooded in.

Officer Larson rushed to the scene. Lee, still on the ground, shared that he shot back at the suspect but was not sure if he hit him. Larson checked the immediate area, but did not leave Lee and did not see the man. A woman called out to Larson from the Ellison Flats apartments, next to the scene east of where the officers were, offering help. Larson requested she call for a doctor to come help. Doctor Eherenfeld arrived shortly after and they got Lee to Saint Joseph’s hospital. Word got out quickly to the rest of the police department who started a manhunt for the shooter. The shooter initially evaded capture despite not being very far away. He managed to hide in a basement in a duplex style home in the 300 block of 1st Street SE. The custodian, Frank Horner, went to the basement to add fuel to the furnace and was met at gunpoint by the shooter, who had in fact been shot once by Lee’s return fire, demanding help. Horner offered to call police, however the man barked back, “I don’t need the police. I need a doctor!” Horner obliged and called a doctor who called police anyway. Several officers quickly descended upon the house, arrested their fellow officer’s shooter, and took him to the Saint Joseph’s hospital as well.

Lee’s prognosis was grim. Surgery presented too much of a shock risk and it was hoped that Lee would not bleed to death internally while waiting for this to improve enough for an operation to remove the shooter’s bullets. It simply did not look good and Lee knew he was dying. Interviews of both Lee and his shooter conducted by States Attorney Ragnvold Nestos, Chief McDonald, and Captain John Reed revealed essentially the same story from both wounded men. The suspect claimed he didn’t realize Lee was a police officer at first, due to the fact that Lee was not wearing a uniform, believed he was being robbed, but would have surrendered if he knew. Unfortunately, this belief was possibly true, at least at first. Employee turnover at the Police Department back then was very high and new officers were not initially issued uniforms due to budgetary limitations. This explanation however seemed to fall apart considering the bribe attempt and then of course, shooting Lee post arrest with his back turned.

Speaking more with the suspect yielded a confession that the vehicle he was driving was stolen out of Saskatchewan, Canada where he had also obtained the liquor. The man’s intention was to drive the vehicle back to Chisholm, Minnesota, where he was from, and was looking for a gas station when Lee stopped him. Chief McDonald brought Lee’s family to the hospital and stayed by his side. Lee succumbed to his wounds at approximately 11:30 in the morning of January 21, 1921 while holding Wanie’s hand after telling her and then eight-year-old Myron how much he loved them. Reverend Dr. C L Clifford, of Vincent M E Church was also present with the Fahler family, offering what comfort and support he could when Lee passed. Lee’s shooter also died not long after Lee’s death, closing the case of Minot’s most recent killing of a police officer.

The week following his death, The Minot Daily News ran an editorial quoting Lee on his deathbed in a conversation with Chief McDonald asking, “Chief did I do my duty?” Throughout the horrifying incident which brought with it unimaginable physical pain, and fear to the community, the police department, a dedicated police officer and his family, Lee’s desire for validation in doing what was right stands out as a testimony to his character. The officer shared no thoughts of revenge, anger, or hatred as he left this life. Lee’s last thoughts on earth focused on something far more important; love of family and service to his community.

Lee’s very short police career shares with us two very important stories of ethical police conduct. The first, an officer willing to uphold the law even when the suspect was a fellow police officer. The second, resisting the corruption of taking money in exchange for looking the other way when confronted by lawbreakers. Both of these instances, given the time, would have been fairly easy to get away with, yet Lee and his fellow officers did their sworn duty when temptation to take an easier, but ultimately wrong, path presented itself while serving the people of Minot. Lee’s conduct, and noteworthy example, is shared today with new officers of the Minot Police Department while they attend law enforcement ethics instruction during orientation training.

In January of this year, The Minot Police Department intended to host a one-hundred year anniversary memorial service honoring Officer Fahler’s sacrifice. However, due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, this event was postponed. This service is now scheduled for Thursday, August 12th at 10:30 am at the Municipal Auditorium, Room 201. Speaking at the memorial will be Mayor Shaun Sipma, Minot Police Chief John Klug, and Pastor Matt Scherbenske of Vincent United Methodist Church. The service is free and open to the public.