Lansingburgh Police Department, New York
End of Watch: Sunday, October 23, 1881
Age: 40
Tour of Duty: 10 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: October 23, 1881
Weapon Used: Handgun
Suspect Info: Convicted of manslaughter
Patrolman Mosher Burnham was shot and killed in an alley near Mullen's saloon and grocery store at the southeast corner of 4th Avenue & Canal after interrupting a burglary in progress on Sunday night.
He started to pursue the subjects, believed to be four in total, on foot when one of them opened fire as he came around the corner, striking him in the abdomen and severing his spinal column.
One of the suspects was captured eight years later, convicted of manslaughter, and sentenced to 6 years and nine months in prison.
Patrolman Burnham, a U.S. Army veteran who fought for the Union during the Civil War, had served with the Lansingburgh Police Department for 10 years. He was survived by his wife, mother, two brothers, and six sisters.