Sergeant James William Anderson, 36, was shot and killed on his birthday, August 31, 1982, while responding to a domestic disturbance at an apartment building at Rice Street and Superior Boulevard in Wayzata, Minnesota. A 13-year law enforcement veteran and a one-year member of the Wayzata Police Department, Anderson was ambushed in the building lobby and shot three times in the chest. The shooter then fled and later created a standoff at the local post office, taking hostages.

The siege ended when the suspect entered the postmaster’s office and died by a self-inflicted gunshot. During the incident a Minnetonka police officer was grazed by gunfire. Anderson was remembered as a calm, respected officer and was survived by his fiancée and three sons; a granite monument stands outside Wayzata City Hall in his honor. Does anyone have memories of Sergeant Anderson or information about that day to share?