End of Watch: 05/10/1928
Agency: Seattle Police Department
County: King County
On May 10, 1928, shortly after 10:00 p.m., the Bartell Drug Store at 2nd Ave. and Pike St. was robbed by a lone armed male. Mr. Jack Howell was a customer in the store at the time. The robber took about $50 from the cash register and left. Howell decided to follow him. The suspect went north on 2nd Ave., and then east on Pine St. In the 200 block of Pine St., Howell flagged down a Mr. Conley in an automobile. Conley agreed to assist. As they continued to follow the suspect, they were looking for a police officer. At 4th Ave. and Pine St., the suspect got onto a northbound Wallingford street car. Howell and Conley followed the street car to Times Square, and still had not seen a police officer. They stopped, and Howell ran inside a drug store to call the police. Before he could do that, Conley ran into the store to say he had found an officer. It was Officer Fred Ivey, 49. All three got into Conley’s car and pursued the street car as it travelled north on Westlake. The car pulled alongside the street car, and Officer Ivey tried to get the conductor to pull over. The conductor would not pull over, but the suspect saw Officer Ivey. The street car stopped at Westlake Ave. and Roy. St. The suspect went to the rear platform. Officer Ivey approached the street car, and the suspect fired two shots. Officer Ivey, returned fire, moved a sort distance, fell and died at the scene. The suspect ran north and disappeared. Around that time, a row boat was stolen from a houseboat at the south end of Lake Union. It was recovered a short distance away.
Several arrests were made within a short amount of time, but all those arrested were released as none of the witnesses identified them as the killer of Officer Ivey.The man was never identified and this case remains unsolved. Fred Ivey’s funeral was held on May 14, 1928 at the Bleitz Chapel. Officer Ivey was buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery.
Fred Ivey was born in Laclede, MO on March 13, 1879. In 1899, at age 20, Fred moved west and settled in Granite Falls where he lived for fourteen years. He was town Marshal for a time. He was commissioned as a Seattle police officer on July 23, 1917.
Officer Ivy served the Seattle Police Department for 11 years. He is survived by his wife, Katherine, two sons, Quenton and Eugene, and a daughter, Dolores.