In the heat of a bitter miners' strike in Birmingham, Alabama, on July 15, 1894, Deputy Sheriff B.W. Tierce, a male lawman, lost his life in a violent confrontation. The striking miners, angered by their replacement with non-union workers, had concealed themselves near a mine, intending to ambush the men who had taken their jobs.
As the non-union miners finished their shift and began to exit the mine, the striking workers unleashed a volley of gunfire, resulting in several fatalities.
Deputy Tierce and a contingent of other deputies responded to the scene in an attempt to quell the violence and apprehend the shooters. As they moved to make arrests, the strikers turned their weapons on the lawmen.
In the ensuing chaos, Deputy Tierce was struck in the chest by a bullet and died almost instantly. The gun battle that followed left at least six people dead. In the aftermath of the bloody conflict, authorities arrested over fifty of the striking miners. Two of the strikers were ultimately charged with the murder of Deputy Sheriff Tierce.
