On November 15, 1945, Sergeant Albert Bowe was shot and killed by armed robbery suspects after he stopped their car on Northeast Sandy Boulevard near 72nd Avenue.
Sergeant Bowe had attempted to stop the stolen vehicle that he recognized as the suspect vehicle from an armed robbery the previous night at the Viking Tavern in Troutdale. After a short pursuit, the vehicle stopped at 7421 NE Sandy Boulevard. As Sgt. Bowe approached the vehicle, the driver, John “Jack” Drew, fired six times while exiting the vehicle, hitting Sgt. Bowe twice. In the hail of gunfire, Sergeant Bowe was able to shoot Drew twice in the groin and shoot several times into the vehicle before falling to the pavement. Sgt. Bowe died at the scene.
Two other deputies, who had observed Sgt. Bowe chasing the vehicle, were on-scene almost immediately, and they took Drew and two other suspects from the robbery into custody. It was later discovered that Drew, and one of the other suspects, were also wanted for other hold-ups in Oregon and California. In one of the hold-ups in California, a police officer's gun was taken and that was the gun that Drew used to shoot Sgt. Bowe.
In January of 1946, Drew was convicted of Second Degree Murder and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole at the Oregon State Penitentiary.
Sergeant Bowe was 41 years of age and had been employed by MCSO for five years. Sgt. Bowe was survived by his wife and 4-year-old son.