A Chicago-area police officer was seen leaving a bank and was shot and killed while responding to a “call regarding an armed criminal,” officials said.
Friday's killing of Oak Park Police Detective Alan Reddins, 40, “marks the Oak Park Police Department's first death in the line of duty since 1938,” the village said in a statement.
“My fellow police officers, we are suffering right now,” Oak Park Police Chief Shatonya Johnson said at a news conference Friday.. “I'm hurting too. His family is hurting too.”
Reddins, who joined the department in 2019, was one of several officers who confronted the suspect who was seen leaving a Chase Bank store, Johnson said. When police asked the suspect to show his hands, the suspect allegedly pulled out a gun and fired at Reddins.
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Oak Park Police Detective Alan Reddins was shot and killed Friday, Nov. 29, while responding to a call about an “armed criminal,” officials said. (Oak Park Police Department)
“At 9:36 a.m., the Oak Park Fire Department responded to a call of shots fired in the 800 block of Lake Street in Oak Park. Upon arrival, firefighters and paramedics learned that Oak Park Police Officer Reddins had been shot. “He was taken to Loyola University Medical Center in critical condition and succumbed to his injuries at approximately 10:10 a.m.,” the Village of Oak Park said.
“The perpetrator was shot in the leg,” he added. “He was taken into custody and is being treated at Loyola and is in stable condition.”
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Oak Park Police Chief Shatonya Johnson spoke about Reddins' death Friday. (WFLD)
Mr Johnson described Mr Reddins as a “devoted father” who leaves behind a son, now 19, his mother and brother.
She also called Reddins a “natural leader” who solved important cases during his time as a detective.
“I thought he would be a great addition as a field training officer and I was really looking forward to him becoming a sergeant,” Johnson added.
The scene in Oak Park, Illinois, where Reddins was shot and killed on Friday, Nov. 29.
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The Village of Oak Park extends its “deepest condolences to Detective Reddins' family, friends, colleagues, and the broader law enforcement community within the Oak Park Police Department as they grapple with the grief caused by this senseless act of violence.” “I will represent it,” he said.
