John McNamara, a 45-year-old male, was working the late hours as a police officer in Curtis Bay, Maryland, when the night turned violent on March 21, 1905. Reports describe him encountering a man in the act of stealing coal, and what began as an attempt to stop a petty theft quickly escalated into a deadly confrontation. In the darkness, with the waterfront and rail yards around Curtis Bay offering plenty of hiding places, the suspect drew a revolver and shot McNamara in the head, killing him.
The killing jolted the community and triggered an immediate manhunt. By the following day, authorities had identified and arrested William Leazer in connection with the shooting. Once in custody, the danger to the accused did not end; accounts say he was rushed to the Baltimore City Jail, where a mob gathered and attempted to lynch him before officials could secure him. The episode underscored how combustible the case had become—an officer slain in the line of duty, a suspect seized quickly, and public fury boiling over into vigilantism.
With the suspect alive and held for court, the case moved from the streets into the courtroom. William Leazer was tried for McNamara’s murder, convicted, and sentenced to death. The legal process culminated months later: on July 21, 1905, Leazer was executed at Annapolis for the killing of Officer McNamara at Curtis Bay.
