Who Shot Victoria Police Constable Alex. Smith?

City Constable Alex Smith was at death’s door. It was New Year’s Day, 1896. Shot in the chest, he’d been rushed to Royal Jubilee Hospital where doctors announced that they could do little for him.

The bullet was lodged in his lung, surgery would kill him, and it was but a matter of time before he succumbed to hemorrhaging, blood poisoning or pneumonia.

As he lay dying, fellow officers of the Victoria Police Department realized they had a mystery on their hands.

The intriguing story behind this unsolved crime in next week’s British Columbia Chronicles.

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PHOTO: If Constable Smith died, his would be the third death in the line of duty for the Victoria Police Dept. —BC Archives