Algona, Iowa, police officer Kevin Cram died Wednesday night after being shot as he tried to execute a warrant on 43-year-old Kyle Lou Ricke.
KTIV noted 33-year-old Cram was on patrol and knew a warrant was out for Ricke’s arrest. He learned the possible whereabouts of the wanted man and went to the location, “told Ricke he was going to be placed under arrest,” and Ricke responded by shooting Cram.
Ricke fled the scene and Cram was found by other police officers. He was rushed to a hospital and pronounced dead.
Cram had been in law enforcement for 10 years.
Iowa Department of Public Safety Commissioner Stephan K. Bayens commented on Cram’s death, saying the officer died a hero:
Algona Police Officer Kevin Cram died serving his community. Algona Police Officer Kevin Cram died because he answered the call to serve. Algona Police Officer Kevin Cram died because he chose to be a beacon of light. Algona Police Officer Kevin Cram died because he was willing to stand between the gap of good and evil. Algona Police Officer Kevin Cram died a hero.
KCCI quoted Algona police chief Kendall Pals saying, “You know it’s tough. Because when you lose a friend, that’s always — that’s always difficult.”
Ricke was arrested roughly 100 miles from where he allegedly shot Cram. He is charged with first degree murder.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010, a speaker at the 2023 Western Conservative Summit, and he holds a Ph.D. in Military History, with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at
