Salt Lake City Police Department, Utah
End of Watch: Saturday, July 8, 1911
Age: 42
Tour of Duty: 24 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: July 5, 1911
Weapon Used: Handgun; Revolver
Suspect Info: Paroled in 1917
Sergeant Johnston succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained three days earlier while he and another officer investigating a domestic disturbance at a hotel on West Temple Street. The hotel owner had called the officers after the male suspect threatened him with a weapon when the owner attempted to quiet the disturbance. When the officers arrived the suspect shot Sergeant Johnston in the abdomen. Sergeant Johnston was taken to St. Mark's Hospital where he died of his wounds three days later.
The suspect was arrested, convicted of second degree murder, and sentenced to life. He was paroled on October 21, 1917.
Sergeant Johnston had been in law enforcement for 24 years and was survived by his wife and three children.