One of the most daring and significant gangster shootouts in U.S. history. Kate Barker, better known as “Ma Barker” was the mother of several American criminals who ran the Barker-Karpis gang during the "public enemy era" when the exploits of gangs of criminals in the Midwest gripped the American people and press. She gained a reputation as a ruthless crime matriarch who controlled and organized her sons' crimes.