Roll of Honor
Incident
Town Marshal Walter Burden was shot and killed on the street while attempting to arrest some men for creating a disturbance at 3:00 pm.
Five men were in town, creating a disturbance to attract the attention of Marshal Burden. When he slipped a handcuff on one of the men, the subject drew his revolver and shot Marshal Burden. Marshal Burden returned fire, killing the man. He was taken to the physician's office, where an operation to save him was unsuccessful. He succumbed to his wound at 11 pm.
Marshal Burden had been hired to bring law and order to McHenry, and it is believed that the men sought Marshal Burden to kill him or scare him to leave the area. The four other men were indicted for conspiracy to commit murder but were acquitted.
Marshal Burden had served only two months with the McHenry Police Department and previously served with the Town of Fordsville.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, mother, and two brothers.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-KY-753AEAF8- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
You barely got started.
Town Constable Burden gave the McHenry Police Department 1 year.
Thank you for your service to the McHenry community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Town Constable Burden.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Town Constable Walter Burden is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In KY, 755 of 983 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 76.8% of this state's fallen. That is 22.6 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Walter Burden's cause is highlighted.
How Walter Burden Compares
Offender Outcome
Shot and killed
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Walter Burden is highlighted in Mar.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Walter Burden was killed by gun; unknown type.