The officers were walking on the west side of Broadway and south of Mercer St. when Angle spotted John Smith. Something about Smith seemed suspicious to Angle who told his partner he was going to “shake” the guy. The officers didn’t know that Smith was a career criminal who had robbed a Spokane Bank two days earlier. As Angle approached Smith, McMillan was checking some business doors to make sure they were locked. Angle walked up to Smith and asked him where he was going. Smith pulled a Remington .380 semi-automatic pistol from his pocket and shot Angle twice. Angle went down immediately, but was able to fire two shots at Smith. McMillan had his back to his partner. When he heard the shots, he turned around and was immediately shot twice by Smith. McMillan managed to fire two shots at Smith before he went down. Smith ran across the street and into a vacant lot. There were many people walking and driving in the area who witnessed the shooting. Mr. A. Biemsals put Officer Angle in his car and drove him to City Hospital while Mr. L. C. Buchman put Officer McMillan in his car and drove him to Minor Hospital. Both officers underwent surgery.

 

Every available police officer in the city joined in the search for John Smith. Witnesses had provided a good description of him and his red mackinaw coat. After hearing of the shootings, about 100 irate citizens joined officers searching for Smith in the Broadway area.

 

Officers in downtown Seattle were searching for Smith as well. Around 10:00 p.m., Detective James O’Brien, 38, and his partner, Detective T. G Montgomery, had been walking 2^nd Avenue. They stopped near the entrance to the Hoge Building at 705 2^nd Avenue to talk to an acquaintance named Dean Carman. Detective O’Brien spotted a man walking towards them from the north with his hands in his pockets. He matched the description of the shooter. It was John Smith. O’Brien stepped out and stopped Smith who immediately pulled his .380 Remington from his pocket and shot Detective O’Brien who fired at least two shots at Smith before falling to the pavement. Detective Montgomery drew his revolver and fired at Smith who was hit and went down with wounds to his leg and ankle. In the exchange of gunfire, Dean Carman was shot in the leg. It was later discovered that one of Smith’s bullets had pierced the material on the side of Montgomery’s coat. Montgomery ran to aid O’Brien who said he had been hit, but he didn’t think it was bad. Montgomery then saw Smith roll over on the sidewalk. He jumped on top of Smith, and had to hit him to subdue him. Montgomery stopped a passing car, and Detective O’Brien was put in the car to be driven to the hospital. He died from his wounds. One of Smith’s bullets had hit his heart. A second pistol and 75 rounds of ammunition were found on Smith after his arrest. Detective O’Brien was survived by his widow, Mary, and four children; John, Wilford, James, and two- month old Mary. Mrs. O’Brien’s police pension with which she had to care for her family was $58.50 per month.

 

Officer William Angle died at City Hospital at 11:45 p.m. on January 22, 1921. He was survived by his pregnant widow, Lula. Officer Neil McMillan died at Minor Hospital on January 24, 1921. He was unmarried. The Seattle Police Department had lost four officers in the span of ten days. Officer Volney L. Stevens had been shot and killed in the line of duty on January 14, 1921.

 

The citizens of Seattle have always treated the slaying of one of their police officers as a unique and tragic event. As they have always done, on January 25, 1921, they turned out by the thousands for the funeral procession of the three fallen officers. Downtown Seattle businesses closed so that owners and employees could pay their respects. The procession started at the County/City Building, travelled down Yesler Way and then north on 2^nd Ave. It made its way to Times Square and then to 7^th Ave. and Olive Way where it ended. Prior to the procession, Detective O’Brien’s funeral service was held at St. Edward’s Church. Officer Angle’s funeral service was held at the Eagles Hall after the procession.

 

John Smith, whose real name was Schmitt, pled guilty to murder on January 27, 1921. He stated he wanted the death penalty. A jury granted his wish. Before being transferred to Walla Walla to await execution, he admitted to another murder in Olympia. He shot and killed a man while making his escape from an armed robbery. Smith was hanged at the state penitentiary on April 1, 1921.

 

James John O’Brien was born in Glenlough, Bantry Bay, County Cork, Ireland on February 22, 1882. He arrived in New York on March 30, 1904, and travelled to Iowa where two of his brothers lived. He worked in the coal business for a few years before heading west to Seattle. James became a naturalized citizen in Seattle on October 18, 1909, and he was commissioned as a Seattle police officer on June 12, 1910. James married Mary Manning on February 21, 1911 at St. Edwards Church in Seattle. At the time of his death, the O’Brien family lived at 4209 S. Findlay St. Detective James “Jimmy” O’Brien was well known and a highly respected member of the Seattle Police Department. One of his sons, John L. O’Brien, became an icon in the Washington State Legislature. A building on the legislative campus bears his name. Another son, Wilford, went on to become a Sergeant with the Seattle Police Department. Detective James O’Brien is buried in Calvary Cemetery.

 

William Theodore Angle was born in Muscatine, Iowa on June 22, 1894. He was a U.S. Army veteran, having served with the 91^st Division, 361^st Regiment, for twenty-two months in France during WW I. On June 22, 1920, he married Lula A. Goodwin. He worked in the construction business before being commissioned as a Seattle police officer on December 7, 1920. William and Lula lived at 931 W. 62 St. After his death, Lula gave birth to their son, William T. Angle, Jr., but the child died on January 1, 1922. Lula died in Seattle on March 13, 1924 at the age of 28. Officer William Angle is buried in Lake View Cemetery.

 

Neil C. McMillan was born in Hamilton, North Dakota on January 29, 1891. But, by the age of two months, his family had settled in East Lake Ainslie, Inverness, Nova Scotia. Neil served in the Canadian Armed Forces during WW I. He was a police officer with the Vancouver BC Police Department for five years before coming to Seattle. He was the second Seattle police officer to be killed in the line of duty who had previously served as a Canadian law enforcement officer. Neil worked as a streetcar motorman in Seattle before being commissioned as a police officer on January 4, 1921. He lived at 125 Bowdoin Pl. Following the funeral procession for the three officers, Neil McMillan was taken home. His body was transported by train to Orangedale, Nova Scotia.

 

In May 1998, Detective James O’Brien, Officer William Angle, and Officer Neil McMillian were among forty Seattle police officers, killed between 1881 and 1976, who were posthumously awarded the Washington Law Enforcement Medal of Honor. At that time, there were no known surviving family members of Officers Angle and McMillian. Although all four of the O’Brien children were alive and living in the Seattle area, none of the O’Briens were contacted by the Department and informed of the award or the presentation ceremony. But fate stepped in. In March 1999, a grandson, John O’Brien Jr., read an article about an Indiana woman who had gotten a Medal of Honor for an elder brother, a federal agent killed in the line of duty in 1932. John believed his grandfather was worthy of such an award. He contacted the Washington Council of Police Chiefs and Sheriffs. He was surprised to learn that his grandfather had already received the Medal of Honor. At the annual presentation ceremony in Olympia in 1999, Detective James J. O’Brien’s Medal of Honor was presented to his family. All four of his children, many grandchildren, and other family members were present.