Notorious American gangster John Dillinger rose to power during the Great Depression. Reportedly, he was the leader of the infamous Dillinger Gang that was accused of committing several bank robberies.
According to the FBI, he and his gang wreaked havoc in the Midwest from September 1933 until July 1934. They killed 10 men, wounded 7, robbed banks and police stations, and even staged three jailbreaks. Furthermore, the jailbreaks resulted in the death of the sheriff and the injury of two other guards.
Born on June 22, 1903, John Dillinger hailed from a middle-class family in Indianapolis. His father, John Wilson Dillinger, was hardworking and raised his son with extreme discipline. His mother, Mary Ellen “Mollie” Lancaster died when John was only three years old. During his adolescent life, he often got into trouble and ultimately quit school and found a job in Indianapolis. Even though John was intelligent and a good employee, he got bored and used to stay out all night.
John’s father got worried that the city was corrupting his son, so he sold his Indianapolis and moved his family to a farm in Mooresville, Indiana. Unfortunately, this did not make the situation any better.
What was John Dillinger’s cause of death?
John Dillinger died on July 22, 1934, after three FBI agents—Charles B. Winstead, Clarence O. Hurt, and Herman E. Hollis—gunned him down. As per the FBI, Dillinger and his two female companions—Anna Sage and Polly Hamilton—exited Biograph Theater at around 10:30 p.m. When the gangster noticed three men (the aforementioned FBI agents) approaching him, he realized he was in trouble. He then grabbed a pistol from his right trouser pocket as he ran toward the alley.
The three agents fired at Dillinger five times. Three bullets struck him, after which Dillinger fell on the pavement face down. Following this, at 10:50 p.m., the gangster was pronounced dead at the Alexian Brothers Hospital. American law enforcement administrator J. Edgar Hoover praised the courage displayed by Winstead, Hurt, and Hollis in taking down Dillinger.
Dary Matera, the author of John Dillinger: The Life and Death of America’s First Celebrity Criminal, described how the gangster was killed. He stated, “The assassins got Dillinger in their sights. The bullet that killed him entered the back of his neck and exited under his right eye.” He further said, “(It was) an execution shot. They’d been sent there with orders to kill Dillinger and that’s what they did. Hoover had no intention of putting him on trial.”
Dillinger’s crime partner, Baby Face Nelson, also got killed in a deadly gunfight on November 27, 1934, which even saw the deaths of Special Agents Samuel P. Cowley and Herman E. Hollis. John Dillinger’s resting place is in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana.
John Dillinger’s story has been depicted in several films like Baby Face Nelson, Public Hero No. 1, Dillinger, Dillinger Is Dead, and more. Notably, Humphrey Bogart’s role in the 1941 film High Sierra, was described as “Dillinger-like.”