METRA Cop killed

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

Metra cop shot dead

(The Chicago Tribune posted the following article on its website on September 28.)

CHICAGO – Police are seeking the gunman in the fatal shooting of an on-duty Metra police officer at a rail station in south suburban Harvey Wednesday night.

Metra police officials said the shooting was not an accident and that “several agencies” were involved with the investigation.

The shooting occurred at the station on Metra’s Electric line, located at 147th and Clinton Streets, said Patrick Waldron, a Metra spokesman.

The officer was identified this morning as Thomas Cook, whose home address was not immediately known, a Cook County medical examiner’s office spokesman said.

Cook apparently had been shot in the back of the head and was pronounced dead at 11:50 p.m. on the scene, the spokesman said.

WGN-Ch. 9 reported early this morning that Cook was shot in his patrol car near the station.

Sandra Alvarado, a spokeswoman for the Harvey Police Department, said officers were at the scene, but she declined to provide details.

2

This is not good news. I certainly hope the police in Chicago can find the individual who killed this police officer before he has a chance to kill someone again.

CANADIANPACIFIC2816

3

My condolences to his family and his colleagues.

This is tough to take. We just went through a summer-long manhunt here in NY which included two troopers shot and injured, and one killed. At least they had an idea what they were up against.

This officer may have never known what hit him, and it appears no one knows why, yet. I fear that some gang member is being congratulated as a hero for offing a cop…

4

God Bless him. He might have been “off duty” but no one allows cops to be off duty.

5

I would almost expect some idiot in the news media to say that this police officer was “executed”. No, he was murdered, and murdered in cold blood. The word “execute” should only apply to doing away with condemned criminals, but I have heard the news media use it otherwise.

CANADIANPACIFIC2816

6

At the risk of correcting you, if you look again this officer was very much ON-DUTY and was killed in his patrol car. This is a very clear cut case and one of the reasons we have the death penalty.

LC

7

It reminds us all to be very careful in questionable areas. It can be dangerous for trained professionals in some locations, let alone average citizens. May god bless that poor fellow and protect his family.

8

I won’t disagree, except to say that the shooting appears to be very much in the style of an execution, gang-style.

9

Sir, civilized societies do not execute their citizens.

But then again, you must be comfortable sharing this

distinction with Saudi Arabia, Cuba, and North Korea.

Dave

10

I have heard the news media use it otherwise.

I doubt that. At least not responsible media. First, why even post this when no media used the word “executed” to describe this crime?

Anyway, since the officer took a bullet to the back of the head it would be accurate for the media in its reports to describe this as an “execution-style” murder because that is one methods hitters use. Maybe that’s what you remember seeing.

Either way, it is indeed a senseless tragedy.

11

A report I saw said that the window of his car was open about three inches, and there was no glass broken in the shooting.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/76245,metrapolice092806.article

The neighborhood he was shot in has had a bad reputation for some time now, and the report describes the area around the station there as something that would make anybody uneasy, especially at night (when street lights are replaced they are destroyed almost immediately). No doubt whatsoever about who runs that area. There’s little doubt that a second person in the car would have been useful in this situation.

We railroaders have heard plenty of times about how the railroad police are spread too thinly. And since the railroad itself is Metra’s around here, they probably couldn’t afford any more police presence. Still, a money-making railroad has tracks that operate over the same bridge, and I would hope that CN’s and Metra’s police forces at least talk to each other. I would also hope that the local police would be available to back up Metra’s police in duty such as this (but then again, the police in this municipality might be “tainted”).

12

A bad week for cops.

HPD 12 year veteran Officer Rodney Johnson shot twice in the back of his head by a suspect who was handcuffed in the back of his patrol car.

Officer Johnson stopped a pick up truck for a routine traffic violation.

Two suspects, one male and one female.

Officer Johnson handcuffed the male, placed both of them in the back of the patrol car, then for reasons know only to Officer Johnson, allowed the female to exit the unit and leave the scene on foot.

Either he did not frisk the male suspect well, or the female passed it to him, but the male managed to fire three shots from a 9mm handgun, two of those struck Officer Johnson in the head.

Officer Johnson managed to key his emergency button on the patrol unit’s radio.

When other officers arrived, they found the male suspect still in the patrol unit, still in possession of the hand gun, and Officer Johnson slumped in the front seat.

Pronounced DOA at Ben Taub hospital, Officer Johnson was a popular HPD Patrol Officer.

Know in his area as one of the good guys, he preferred to “police” his area instead of being an enforcer.

Most of the high school kids around here knew him; he made it his business to be on patrol during the afternoon when the kids were getting out of school.

He would stop and talk to them, and most importantly, listen to them, and address their concerns.

13

METRA maintains a 97 member Police force for the whole system,not much of a “PoliceForce”.

The local Police force uses the Illinois State Police for protection.

A White METRA officer should have not been parked at that Station.

It may be found to be a “hate crime”.

14

IIRC, a Norfolk Sothern officer was shot and killed in Chicago last year.

God Bless them. They help keep us safe. May the two slain railroad officers rest in Eternal Peace and may their families take some comfort from their rest.

15

it is of great sadness that a metra cop was shot while on duty leaving behind family and friends.i am total upset and outragged that a coward not a real person could do such a violent and unholy thing.i hope that they catch that sob and stick his sorry ass in jail for life.my smpathy goes out to the family in time of great sadness at the loss of thier loved one.

16

As for someone who comes from a family in law enforcement, it makes me totally sick when i read something like this. You kill a law officer, you get a one way trip to the gas chamber, period!

17

Which part of the former Soviet Union are you from?

In this country, we have a judicial system that requires

indictment, trial and conviction before we execute

a felon. You may have heard of this process. It is

called the rule of law.

Dave