Officer Burns was shot and killed on June 13, 1883, by a young Kentuckian who had arrived in the city only a few hours before the shooting incident.   Officer Burns lived in a small house near Union Station.  While at home, he heard pistol shots and ran from his house in civilian clothes to investigate.  The off-duty police officer discovered there was trouble at a boarding house near Capitol Avenue and Henry Street.  As Officer Burns entered the house, he was fatally wounded by John Jeter, who was engaged in a fight with another man.  Jeter surrendered to arriving police officers.  At his trial, Jeter stated he thought Officer Burns was a friend of the man he was fighting.  He claimed self-defense.   In one of the most sensational trials in the history of the local courts, Jeter was acquitted.