Marshal Frederick Leavitt was shot and killed by a suspect he was questioning about a concealed weapon.

On September 26. 1939, Marshal Leavitt and the Polk County Sheriff Harry D. Butler attempted to question a man at the town square about possessing a concealed firearm. The suspect pulled out the hangun and shot both officers, killing Marshal Leavitt. After the shooting Pederson forced school superintendent Ray Wood to drive him 10 miles from the scene until the car ran out of gas and he was forced to flee into the woods on foot. Pederson later turned himself in to authorities.

The 29-year-old suspect and ex-convict, Charles Pederson, tried in Warsaw with a special prosecutor as the marshal was Polk County Prosecutor Willard Leavitt's brother. Pederson was granted a change of venue to Warsaw as his counsel claimed he could not get a fair trial in Polk County. Pederson was convicted of first degree murder in Warsaw and sentenced to life. He was tried in Warsaw, Missouri after a change of venue was granted and the trial was moved from Polk County to Benton County. During the trial, Benton County Prosecutor Willard Leavitt testified how he had sent the sheriff and his brother, Marshal Leavitt, to investigate reports that Pederson was carrying a gun.

Marshal Leavitt was serving his second term as marshal. He was survived by his wife, Georgia and his parents, Julius and Florence Leavitt. Interred: Greenwood Cemetery, Bolivar, MO.