Officer Hugh Burns was shot and killed on June 13, 1883, by a young Kentuckian who had arrived in the city only a few hours before the shooting incident. Officer Burns lived in a small house near Union Station. While at home, he heard pistol shots and ran from his house in civilian clothes to investigate. The off-duty police officer discovered there was trouble at a boarding house near Capitol Avenue and Henry Street. As Officer Burns entered the house, he was fatally wounded by a pistol shot fired by John Jeter, who was engaged in a fight with another man. Jeter surrendered to arriving police officers. At his trial, Jeter stated he thought Officer Burns was a friend of the man he was fighting. Jeter claimed self-defense. In one of the most sensational trials in the history of the local courts, Jeter was acquitted.
Source not verified.