Roll of Honor
Incident
Sheriff James Burns was shot and killed by sheep rustlers in the mountains above Spring City. While returning the stolen sheep he encountered two rustlers and became engaged in a gunfight. Sheriff Burns was mortally wounded but was able to wound one of the suspects. Both men were identified but fled the area and were never captured. Sheriff Burns had served as sheriff for 2 years. He was survived by his expectant wife and seven children. One of his children, James Milton Burns, was shot and killed in the line of duty on June 16, 1925, while serving as marshal of Castle Gate, Utah. Sheriff Burns is buried in Mount Pleasant City Cemetery, Mount Pleasant, Utah.
Survivors
He was survived by his expectant wife and seven children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-UT-70D1D65C- 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
132 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Sheriff Burns gave the Sanpete County Sheriff's Department 2 years.
Thank you for your service to the Manti community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sheriff James Christopher Burns 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 UT, 84 of 138 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.9% of this state's fallen. That is 6.7 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. James Christopher Burns's cause is highlighted.
How James Christopher Burns Compares
Offender Outcome
Never apprehended
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. James Christopher Burns is highlighted in Sep.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. James Christopher Burns was killed by gun; unknown type.