Officer John Buchanan was shot and killed as he attempted to make an arrest of an auto theft suspect.

   The man was in custody by two other officers at a nearby business when he fled from them on foot. He went into the Beyer Hotel and forced its owner into a second-floor closet with him to hide.

   When Officer Buchanan was alerted to where they were hiding, he ordered the suspect to surrender. The man fired two shots through the closet door, striking Officer Buchanan above the heart, killing him instantly before he fled again.

   As other officers confronted the suspect at Illinois and New York streets, he was shot and wounded after attempting to fire at them with an empty gun.

   The 18-year-old suspect was charged with first-degree murder and later found guilty of manslaughter in a change of venue to Hendricks County. He was sentenced to two to 21 years in prison and granted parole by Governor Harry G. Leslie in 1929.

   Officer Buchanan was survived by his wife.

Military Service World War I

Historical Note • Officer Buchanan is the third known African-American law enforcement line of duty death in Indiana.

The responsibilities of the Indianapolis Police Department (1854–2006) are now under the jurisdiction of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.