Golden Valley County Sheriff's Department, Montana
End of Watch: Thursday, April 14, 1938
Age: 43
Tour of Duty: Not available
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: April 14, 1938
Weapon Used: Gun; Unknown type
Suspect Info: Executed
Undersheriff Buzz Burford was shot and killed when he and a deputy had gone to a residence on a business matter.
Unbeknownst to the deputies, the rancher and his wife and murdered two teenage ranch hands several days earlier. The two suspects, thinking the deputies were coming to arrest them for the murders, opened fire from an upstairs window as the deputies approached the house. Undersheriff Burford was struck in the leg and both deputies took cover behind the patrol car.
During the shootout the deputies exhausted all of their ammunition but were pinned down behind the car. As night fell the deputy was able to make his way from the property and go for help, but before he returned the suspect came down and shot Undersheriff Burford in the head, killing him. The suspect was convicted and later hung for the crime.
Undersheriff Burford was survived by his wife.