Cincinnati Police Department, Ohio
End of Watch: Saturday, March 29, 1884
Age: 43
Tour of Duty: 4 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire (Inadvertent)
Date of Incident: March 29, 1884
Weapon Used: Rifle
Suspect Info: Not available
Patrolman Joseph Sturm was accidentally shot and killed during a riot which started when a mob of angry citizens stormed the city jail in an attempt to hang a convict.
The citizens were upset because the man was sentenced to 20 years for his crime instead of being sentenced to death. Approximately 10,000 citizens surrounded the courthouse and poured an accelerant down the stairs leading to an entry door where members of the Ohio National Guard were stationed after being activated the previous night. The Guardsmen opened fire on the rioters in order to push them back from the jail.
Patrolman Sturm had taken a wagon into the crowd in order to aid a wounded rioter when he was struck multiple times by a second volley by the Guardsmen.
Patrolman Sturm was a Civil War Veteran who served as a private in the 9th Ohio Infantry, Company E. He was survived by his wife and three children.