Michigan History: Sen. Warren Hooper Shot, Killed 78 Year Ago; Case Still Unsolved

By DeJanay Booth, CBS Detroit

January 15, 2023

Michigan Sen. Warren Hooper was traveling from Lansing to his home in Albion on Jan. 11, 1945, when he was shot and killed.

Investigators suspected that members of Detroit's Purple Gang were involved. Despite the investigation, the Republican senator's case remains unsolved to this day.

According to the University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library, Hooper was killed days before he was scheduled to testify before a grand jury regarding a bribe in horse racing. At the time, former state treasurer and Republican Frank McKay was named in three federal grand jury probes, and Hooper's testimony would have implicated McKay.

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