Person:Robert Keller (12)

A newspaper article said that Bob was killed early when he was shot by a burglar he was chasing. He responded to a silent alarm in a dress shop. The burglar hiding behind a counter shot Bob was struck by one of the bullets on the left side just above his badge. Although mortally wounded, Bob managed to run across the street to the Park Theater in an apparent effort to telephone for help after he had emptied his revolver at the burglar. As he reached the glass door that leads to the foyer of the theater, he collapsed and fell through the door, shattering the glass. He died shortly afterward at 1 A.M. at St. Francis Hospital in Linwood, California. His little girl was only 4 months old. The burglary suspect, apparently hit by one of the shots, escaped -- to this day, he has remained free. Bob's father, Hank, put out a reward for the finding of his son's criminal -- to no success.

His grandmother related the impressive service for Bobby -- hundreds of cars in the funeral procession and hundreds of policemen showing their respect for their comrade in arms.

The following text was noted on Bobby's funeral card:

Responding to a burglar alarm, a former Montore County resident and police officer at Huntington Park, Calif., was shot to death Thursday evening, October 5, 1967.

Robert Keller, 25, died about half an hour after he was shot by a burglar about 11:30 P.M. in a Huntington Park dress shop.

Keller and the burglar exchanged thirteen shots. The burglar escaped holding his side as if wounded, police reported.

When he was 17, Keller left Charlotte High School to join the Navy. He received a high school diploma while in service. He was the son of Mrs. Ann Keller of 215 Wolcott Ave., Gates, and Mr. Henry Keller of Anaheim, Calif. His last address here was 250 Stonewood Ave., Greece.

Besides his parents, Keller leaves his widow, Kay; a 4-month-old daughter, Adrenna, and two sisters, Mrs. James (Betty) Lammon, also of the Wolcott Ave. address and Mrs. Ilard (Carol) Rynyan of Santa Ana, Calif., besides several nephews and a niece.

Bobby, was a happy, twinkle-in-the-eye kind of personality. He had a good sense of humor and enjoyed people. He was very proud of his profession. When he returned to Rochester to visit his grandfather who was dying, he brought along his uniform. When he went into his grandfather's bedroom to show his uniform off, his grandfather seemed upset and kept waving his away. Three months after his grandfather died, Bobby was killed on duty. It was always felt by the family that his grandfather had a premonition and could see what the uniform would become.

Bobby was a good son and grandson; both his parents and his grandparents adored him. He was handsome, tall, and erect. He could have been a poster boy for the a police force recruitment sign.

His sister, Carol Jean Runyan gave us a copy of the invitation and the program for an event held Saturday, 21 August 2004. The Huntington Park Police Department had a rededication of the police station to Robert Henry Keller, the only HP police office killed in the line of duty. Wouldn't his father have been proud? Maybe not -- it ate at him that the killer wasn't found -- he had offered a large reward. He probably would say, "I'd rather have my son." And, then, so would we.

I've put in words in his behalf at:

http://www.interment.net/data/us/ca/losangeles/rosehills/

Also recognized at:

http://www.odmp.org http://nleomf.com http://www.camemorial.org/ http://ww.policepoems.com/InTheLineOfDuty.htm (poem written by his niece, Michele Runyan) http://www.huntingtonparkpd.org

1. ↑ Social Security Index.