In the fading light of a November evening in 1902, Kenton County Deputy Sheriff Nicholas Bodkin, a 41-year-old male, found himself called to a disturbance that would abruptly end his life. The altercation was unfolding at a saloon, situated directly across from the Covington police station on Court Avenue. Inside, an off-duty Covington policeman, Robert Brown, had been drinking and had started a quarrel with two other men. Deputy Bodkin, along with his partner, Deputy John D.
McInerney, responded to the scene in an attempt to quell the escalating conflict.
As the two deputies worked to separate the agitated group, the situation took a tragic turn. Brown, in his intoxicated state, drew a handgun and opened fire. Both Deputy Bodkin and Deputy McInerney were struck by the gunfire. The injured lawmen were quickly transported to St. Elizabeth Hospital for medical attention. While Deputy McInerney would ultimately survive his wounds, Deputy Bodkin succumbed to a fatal gunshot wound to his abdomen. He was a husband and a father to five children.
The shooter, Robert Brown, was promptly arrested at the scene and subsequently charged with murder. His initial trial ended in a hung jury, but a subsequent discovery of perjury by one of the jurors led to a retrial. In this second trial, Brown was convicted of voluntary manslaughter for the killing of Deputy Bodkin. He received a sentence of two years of hard labor for his actions that night.
