On March 27, 1904, 51-year-old white male City Marshal George Greer was patrolling the streets of Bloomfield, Missouri, when he encountered a local man who was intoxicated. Marshal Greer ordered the individual to return to his home, and the man initially appeared to comply. However, instead of remaining there, the man retrieved a shotgun and proceeded to a set of stables located at the intersection of Prairie and Center Streets, where he positioned himself to ambush the marshal. While waiting in the stables, the suspect's weapon accidentally discharged, the noise alerting both Marshal Greer and the city's night watchman who were in the vicinity.
Upon investigating the source of the gunfire, the officers were fired upon by the suspect, leading to an exchange of shots as the man fled back to his residence. Marshal Greer and the night watchman pursued the gunman to his house and forced their way inside to make an arrest. As they entered, the suspect fired a single shot that struck Marshal Greer in the chest, killing him. The night watchman managed to subdue the assailant and took him into custody without further loss of life.
The suspect was subsequently tried and convicted for the murder of Marshal Greer, receiving a twenty-year prison sentence. After serving only a few years of his term, he was granted parole and returned to society. On January 25, 1916, more than a decade after Greer's death, the same man became intoxicated and attempted to shoot the serving City Marshal of Bloomfield. In the ensuing confrontation, the marshal returned fire, shooting and killing the man who had murdered Marshal Greer years prior.
