Officer Walter G. Cottle is fatally shot on September 27, 1930.

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On September 27, 1930, Seattle Police Officer Walter G. Cottle (1889-1930) is fatally shot, possibly by the same man who killed Officer Gene Perry the week before.

At approximately 9:45 p.m. on Saturday, September 27, 1930, Officer Cottle stopped a man for questioning. The man pulled a .38 caliber revolver and shot Cottle in the neck and in the jaw. Cottle died on September 29.

There were several arrests, but no one was ever charged with the crime. A portion of eyeglass frames, similar to the type worn by the Perry murder suspect, were found at the scene of Cottle's murder.

Sources:
Rae Anna Victor, Century of Honor: Excellence and Valor in Washington State Law Enforcement (Bloomington, IN: 1st Books, 2000), 111; Michael D. Brasfield, "An Examination of the Historical and Biographical Material Pertaining to the Violent Deaths Involving Seattle Police Officers (1881-1980)" (Undergraduate thesis, University of Washington Library, 1980), 69.

By Dave Wilma, May 24, 2002

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