Night Marshal Elisha Hagler was shot in the chest when he saw three men rolling a stolen car out of the Hildrith Motor Company. When he and Watchman Freeman Wilson asked the men what they were doing, one man raised his hands and a second man shot Hagler in the left shoulder, severing his spinal cord and paralyzing him from the waist down. Officer Hagler was only able to take small amounts of liquid nourishment during his hospitalization and died from his injuries one month later.

The suspects were later identified by a neighboring agency's officer. Two of the suspects, James Langely and Rudophe Parker of Arkansas, were convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.

Watchman Hagler joined the police department on November 1, 1930. He was survived by his three children, his father and four brothers. Interred: Waldensian Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Monett, MO.