Cst. William Nixon
End of Watch: August 31, 1919
Constable Nixon was shot while questioning a suspicious person wanted in relation to a series of hold-ups.
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Constable William Nixon was born Ingersoll, Ontario. He joined the Edmonton Police Department in 1912. Following the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, Nixon joined the Canadian Army. He served continuously until November 9, 1918, two days before the Armistice, when he was gassed. He rejoined the police department upon his return to Edmonton. At three o’clock in the morning on August 30, 1919, Constable Nixon was shot while on patrol.
The shooter, John Gundard Larson, was captured in the northern Alberta town of Mountain Park following a massive manhunt. Larsen stood trial for the murder of Constable Nixon, an earlier assault on another police officer, and two robberies. Larson was given a life sentence. He was paroled in 1942.
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Constable Nixon, who was predeceased by his parents and brother, is buried in Ingersoll, Ontario.
The William Nixon Training Centre, which opened in 1999, is named in his honour