Sergeant Kenneth William Hayden was injured by an accidental gunshot while responding to a liquor store robbery on August 19, 1974. The wound was to his leg; he recovered sufficiently to continue duty but the injury had lasting consequences.

Eleven years later a car crash led to a fracture of that same leg. During surgery physicians found a cancerous tumor and the leg was amputated, forcing medical retirement in 1986. The cancer later spread to his lungs, and Master Sergeant Kenneth William Hayden died on September 12, 1989, at age 41. His death was attributed to complications traced back to the 1974 accidental gunshot wound; because the shooting was accidental, there were no suspects or arrests.

Are there officers, family members, or Fort Wayne residents who remember Sergeant Hayden or his service and can add context to his life and career?