Oak Park mourns fallen officer Allan Reddins, who "gave his life for all of us"
OAK PARK, Ill. (CBS) -- Still stunned by the shooting death of Oak Park Police Detective Allan Reddins, his colleagues and community spent Saturday and Sunday sharing memories—as memorials for the fallen officer continued to grow.
Reddins was shot and killed in the line of duty Friday morning, and on Saturday, a Chicago man was charged with his murder.
"It's just, it's devastating, and it's a complete shock to all of us at the Oak Park Police Department, and everybody who knew him," said former Oak Park Police Sgt. Traccye Love.
Love was back at her former workplace Saturday, where she was once Reddins' supervisor. She said he was someone you could always count on.
"If you hear Reddins going to the call, you know for sure that it's gonna be handled. It's gonna be handled professionally," she said. "He just had an ability to calm things down, and the reason why he was able to do that is because he was able to slow it down."
But Reddins might not have gotten the chance to do that Friday. With the department since 2019, he was responding to a call of a person with a gun leaving Chase Bank on Lake Street on Friday morning when he was shot, a bullet hitting the left side of his body. Reddins' fellow officers returned fire, shooting the suspect in the leg.
On Saturday, police announced that 37-year-old Jerell Thomas had been charged with first-degree murder in Reddins' death. He's also charged with attempted murder of a peace officer, possession of a stolen firearm, and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon.
Police said Thomas has an extensive criminal background, with multiple arrests for aggravated battery to a police officer, domestic battery, battery, and resisting a police officer.
Reddins' death in the line of duty is something Oak Park has not seen in their police department in nearly 90 years, leaving the community looking to find ways to honor the man who gave his life to protect them.
On Saturday, neighbors stopped by a growing memorial near where Reddins was shot. They didn't all know him, but wanted to pay their respects and bring flowers
"He's from Chicago, he's not even from Oak Park, but he loved our community so much that he became a police officer here, and gave his life for all of us," said Jennifer Okonma.
"To have this happen right here in the center of the village is very counter to kind of the spirit of our community," said Susanna Mlot, who lives near the scene of the shooting.
Love said Oak Park residents have been sharing photos of Reddins with her since his death, describing him as a fixture in the community.
"That's just the type of guy that he was. You have people coming into the lobby asking specifically, 'Can I speak to Allan?'" Love said.
Reddins leaves behind a 19-year-old son, along with his mother and siblings.
Funeral arrangements for Reddins have yet to be announced.
Memorials grow for fallen detective
Oak Park residents put up memorials for Detective Reddins throughout Thanksgiving weekend.
On Sunday, flags flew at half-staff across Oak Park in memory of Reddins. Neighbors tied blue ribbons around the trees in their front yard, and urged others on social media to do the same.
Meanwhile, one memorial started alongside the scene of the shooting, and more than doubled between Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. But the flowers at the memorial were starting to show their signs of exposure to the elements after several hours.
Neighbors who didn't even know Detective Reddins brought bouquets Saturday night.
"I thought it was important that we acknowledge someone who gave his life in service of this community," said Susanna Mlot, who lives near the shooting scene.
This was the first line-of-duty-death for an Oak Park police officer since 1938.
"He loved our community so much that he became a police officer here and gave his life for all of us," said Jennifer Okonma of Oak Park.
Purple and black bunting were also draped across the Oak Park police station Sunday afternoon.
A candlelight vigil will be held in the courtyard at Village Hall, located at 123 Madison St., on Friday, December 6. This vigil will make one-week since Reddin's death. The remembrance will begin at around 5:30 p.m.
