Fred Beell Fred Beell ( January 17 , 1876 – August 5 , 1933 ) was a German - born American professional wrestler and police officer . Biography . Fred Beell was born in West Prussia , Germany . At the age of three , his family migrated to the United States , settling in Marshfield , Wisconsin . He attended Immanual Lutheran School as a child , and at the age of fourteen he began working at the Upham mill in Marshfield . Beell joined the United States Army , serving in the Spanish – American War . After his military discharge , he married Anna Scheren , also of German descent , on August 6 , 1902 . Beell first became a professional wrestler in the late 1890s , during a time when professional wrestlers would fight numerous exhibition matches each month , keeping them on the road constantly . He defeated Soren Hansen in April 1899 , and later defeated John Berg that same year , both notable wrestlers of the day . On February 3 , 1900 , Beell defeated Ed Adamson , winning $ 238 . 50 for the match . On April 9 , 1900 , Beell defeated William West to become the Northwest Wrestling Champion . It was not until 1906 that he gained national attention , when he defeated Frank Gotch , the reigning American Heavyweight Wrestling Champion . He eventually quit wrestling in 1919 and became a police officer in his adopted hometown of Marshfield , Wisconsin in 1921 . On August 5 , 1933 , at around 3am , Beell and his partner George Fyksen investigated a break - in at the Marshfield Brewing Company . Suspects were still on the scene . Beell , according to the later report published in the " Marshfield News - Herald " , and a more in - depth report in a 1933 edition of " True Detective Mysteries " , waited near the patrol vehicle to watch the exits , while Fyksen entered the building . As he entered , the suspects began firing on Fyksen , who dropped to the ground and avoided injury , while returning fire . Beell , hearing the shots , left the vehicle to go to Fyksen ' s aid . As he rounded the front of the car , the suspects exited the building , firing as they ran . Four buckshot from a shotgun blast hit Beell in the head , without his being able to return fire , killing him instantly . The suspects then stole the police vehicle , but abandoned it less than a mile away . They had stolen $ 1 , 550 . 00 in a safe burglary . Marshfield police chief William Paape organized a posse with Wood County , Wisconsin sheriff Martin Bey . One of the suspects , Edward " Speed " Gabriel , was hit by shots fired from Fyksen in the initial gun battle , his body being located in a shallow grave alongside a roadway in Minnesota the next day . Two other suspects , Joe " Sleepy Joe " Hogan and Elmer Digman were captured . Hogan received 25 years in prison for his part in the murder , while Digman received a life sentence . Currently , every year on the anniversary of Beell ' s death , the Marshfield Police Department holds a ceremony in his honor . To date , he is the only Marshfield police officer to have been killed in the line of duty . At the time of his death , Beell was 57 years old , and had been with the department for twelve years . He is buried at Hillside Cemetery in Marshfield . Beell Stadium , home of the Marshfield Tigers football team , is named after him . He is also credited with popularizing the famed ' Beell Toss ' wrestling maneuver . He was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1972 .