Jacob Neibert
Muscatine in Muscatine County
NOTE: Iowa Department of Public Safety records and other officer down memorial pages list this victim’s name as Jacob Neibert. Findagrave.com records were recently updated, and show the victim’s surname as Neupert. He emigrated from Germany to the United States, and at this time it is unknown whether he changed his surname or used a different surname when he enlisted for the Civil War, Company C, Iowa’s 35th Infantry Regiment, in August 1862 at age 20.
Muscatine Police Officer Jacob Neibert was shot on Saturday, June 13, 1896, after arresting two hobos for vagrancy. The two men overpowered and shot him.
Neibert was able to give other officers a description of the two men before succumbing to his wounds.
Two suspects were arrested but later released when officials determined they had nothing to do with the murder.
The killers were never identified.
According to online records, Jacob Neupert (AKA Jacob Neibert) was born July 23, 1842 in Bavaria (Bayern) Germany.
Neupert was a Civil War veteran and member of GAR Shelby Norman Post 231 in Muscatine, Iowa. He enlisted in Company C, Iowa’s 35th Infantry Regiment, on August 21, 1862 and left to serve September 3, 1862.
He mustered out on August 10, 1865, at Davenport, Iowa, and later moved to Muscatine, where he served as a police officer for the Muscatine Police Department.
Courtesy Linda Linn
He died in a line of duty death some time between June 13 and June 14, 1896, and was laid to rest at Greenwood Cemetery in Muscatine.
He was survived by a wife, Henrietta.
Officer Neupert is memorialized at Panel 13-W: 24 on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Tom
I was trying to come up with a description of Jacob Neibert and came up with brown hair blue eyes approx. 179 lb and 6 ft. Would that be anywhere close?
I don’t know, Sonya. I’ve not yet read anything that gave a full physical description of him.
Good question, Frank. I’m not sure if there’s something like that out there or not. A Google search would probably provide some answers.
Is there a wall for victim’s of police shootings that anyone knows of. I’d really love for one to be set up.
Thanks for catching the math error, Sean Gray. I’ve corrected it to reflect the 118 years ago rather than 108 years. Can’t believe I missed that earlier. :-)
The civil was from 1861 to 1865. So by my math he would’ve be 21 :)
It is possible he served while he was 10 years old. Drummers were all very young boys, water runners (gophers) whatever you want to call them. I agree that is sad that his family never received the justice he deserved.
Sean Gray, the age does seem strange, but this is what’s listed on the Officer Down Memorial Page. http://www.odmp.org/officer/17150-police-officer-jacob-neibert (And also is listed on the IA Dept. of Public Safety’s Peace Officer Memorial page at http://www.dps.state.ia.us/commis/pib/ipom/Officers/Neibert_Jacob.shtml.
So sad he’ll never get justice :/ May he RIP <3
Sean Gray I agree. R.I.P. Officer
118 years ago today. Not 108. That makes more sense.
That’s odd. He would have been 10 when the civil war started. RIP officer.
So sorry. God bless his soul.