In the early morning hours of July 5, 1911, a domestic disturbance call from the Albert Hotel at 119 S. West Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah, set in motion a tragic chain of events. Sergeant John H. Johnston, a 42-year-old male officer with the Salt Lake City Police Department, responded to the scene along with two other officers. There, they discovered an intoxicated man threatening his wife with a.
32-caliber revolver.
In an act of bravery, Sergeant Johnston stepped between the man and his wife to de-escalate the volatile situation. It was then that the suspect fired his weapon, shooting Johnston once in the abdomen. As the man attempted to fire a second shot at the fallen sergeant, the other officers managed to subdue and arrest him.
Sergeant Johnston was rushed to St. Mark's Hospital for medical attention. Despite the efforts of the medical staff, he succumbed to his gunshot wound three days later, on July 8, 1911. He was a 24-year veteran of law enforcement and was survived by his wife and children.
The suspect was promptly charged with first-degree murder. He was subsequently convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the killing of Sergeant Johnston. However, two years into his sentence, the Utah Supreme Court ordered a new trial. In this second legal proceeding, the suspect pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of second-degree murder. He was ultimately paroled in 1917.
