Newport Police Department, Kentucky
End of Watch: Monday, November 17, 1884
Age: 37
Tour of Duty: 11 months
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: November 13, 1884
Weapon Used: Handgun
Suspect Info: Not available
Police Officer James Edgar succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained 4 days earlier, when he and his partner attempted to arrest five men they had discovered burglarizing a grocery store at the intersection of Ringgold and Monmouth Streets.
When the burglars were discovered, they attempted to flee and a shootout ensued between them and the two officers. Officer Edgar was struck once in the abdomen.
He was taken across the street to a doctor's home and then taken to his home where he remained until he died.
Officer Edgar was a Union Army veteran of the Civil War and had served with the Newport Police Department for only 11 months. He was survived by his wife and five children.