Circumstances of Death
Prohibition Agent Harold Vincent Mooring was working undercover investigating a tavern owner suspected of bootlegging liquor in Cosmopolis, WA. While inside the tavern someone apparently recognized him as a Federal prohibition agent and tipped off the owner. As Agent Mooring departed the tavern, he was shot from behind and critically wounded. Although he sufficiently recovered to testify in court against his attackers, all of whom were convicted of assault, he never fully recovered from the initial injuries and was unable to fully perform his duties. Agent Mooring died two years later, partially as a result of this earlier shooting.
Background
Agent Mooring joined the Prohibition Unit on January 17, 1922, with an annual salary of $1,800. He was assigned to the Seattle, WA, field office.
Personal
Agent Mooring was born in New York, NY.