Former Pueblo County Sheriff recognized for Line of Duty Death 100 years later
PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- The Pueblo County Sheriff's Office is recognizing the service of one of their own over a century later. Former Sheriff John M. McKee died in 1918 from an injury he sustained while apprehending a suspect. Now, the sheriff's office says his sacrifice will be recognized as a Line of Duty Death.
McKee died of a stroke and complications from having been viciously kicked in the head by a suspect 10 months earlier, said the sheriff's office. The injury caused a blood vessel to rupture, rendering him blind in one eye and ultimately led to his death.
McKee moved to Pueblo in 1890 from his native Pennsylvania. He was a veteran of the Spanish-American war and worked as a machinist for some years before getting into politics. Before running for sheriff, he was first elected as County Treasurer in 1900. In 1914 he was elected as sheriff for a two-year term and re-elected in 1916, serving until his death. McKee is buried in Roselawn Cemetery.
McKee's name will be unveiled May 13 at the National Law Enforcment Memorial in Washington, D.C. with another former Pueblo County sheriff, Joe Tucker. Tucker died in a plane crash while personally flying a woman home to Minnesota after her husband was convicted and sentenced in Pueblo. Both will be recognized as historic line-of-duty deaths.
Click here for more about McKee's life and service.
The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office is attempting to locate family of McKee. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of any family members is asked to contact Lt. Dave Clements at (719) 583-6435.
