Buffalo Police Department, New York
End of Watch: Wednesday, February 2, 1887
Age: 47
Tour of Duty: 21 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Structure collapse
Date of Incident: February 2, 1887
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Detective James Shepard was killed when a house he was in collapsed.
Detective Shepard went to the west side of the city to conduct an investigation. While at the location the weather suddenly turned violent. Heavy winds swept the area. Detective Shepard took shelter in a house that was under construction. The force of the winds caused the house to collapse, killing Detective Shepard.
Detective Shepard had served with the Buffalo Police Department for 21 years, and had once held the position of Superintendent. He was a Civil War veteran with the United States Army who was wounded during the battle of Malvern Hill and taken prisoner by the Confederate Army.