Scioto County Sheriff's Office, Ohio
End of Watch: Monday, May 12, 1958
Age: 53
Tour of Duty: 22 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire (Inadvertent)
Date of Incident: February 13, 1958
Weapon Used: Officer's handgun
Suspect Info: Not available
Sheriff Burl Justice died from injuries received three months earlier when he was accidentally shot and killed by a child while giving a tour of the jail.
He was participating in a program where children replaced government officials for a day. He had unloaded his weapon and showed it to the children. He then reloaded it and set it down to get the jail keys. One of the children picked it up to admire it and accidentally fired it, striking Sheriff Justice in the abdomen.
Sheriff Justice had served with the Scioto County Sheriff's Office for 22 years. He was survived by his wife and child.