Officer Kenneth M. Olson, 25, was killed while on duty on July 19, 1978. Olson and a fellow officer, Rick Blazek, answered a prowler call at 2:30 a.m. at 20 Ninth Street Northeast. While investigating in a backyard near the alley, a shotgun blast fired from a window about 50 to 60 feet away struck Olson in the chest. He was taken to United Hospital in Grand Forks and pronounced dead at 2:55 a.m.

The person who fired the shot was the 64-year-old man who had reported the prowler; he was arrested at the scene. Olson had served four years with the East Grand Forks Police Department and previously worked for the Northwood, North Dakota Police Department. He had married his wife, Bonita, four months before his death. His funeral was held on July 21, 1978, at Augustana Lutheran Church and he was buried in Arvilla Cemetery in North Dakota.

Does anyone have memories of Officer Olson or information about the July 19, 1978 incident that could add context to what happened that night?