Page 36 - June2020 FOP Magazine

Fallen officer’s family teams up to protect officers
Each of Chicago’s 22 police districts received portable hand sanitizer ma- chines thanks to the family of an officer who lost his life on duty nearly two de- cades ago.
In late May, Aztec Supply Company – which is owned by Dan Marquez, the brother of Officer Donald Marquez – began the process of donating the ma- chines for use at outdoor roll calls, com- munity events or any other opportunity the districts see fit to provide hand san- itizer to those in attendance. Included with the machine were a portable stand and hand sanitizer
Marquez – a Gold Star Family member – said providing the machines and ma- terials was simply a way to support Chi- cago Police Officers on the front lines of the COVID-19 public health crisis. And, it was another way to honor the memory of his brother, who died in March 2002 while serving an arrest warrant.
n BY KAREN STAHL
The rousing call of bagpipes playing “Amazing Grace” rang out in the 25th District on May 13, when officers and community members gathered together in celebration of a memorial roll call for two fallen heroes.
A 20-year bond between veteran of- ficers who came on the job at the same time, Raymond Kilroy and Gregory Hauser, tragically ended on the evening of May 13, 1990. Both officers were killed in the line of duty while responding to a domestic call on Mother’s Day between a grandmother and her grandson. The grandson unexpectedly grabbed one of the officer’s weapons and fired several shots that struck Kilroy and Hauser and ended their lives. Kilroy was 47 years old, and Hauser was 43.
Now, members in the 25th District are working to make sure that no matter how many years pass, the lives and lega- cies of the heroic law enforcement offi- cers are never forgotten.
One of the local street signs was re- placed with an honorary placard read- ing, “Officers Hauser & Kilroy Drive,” as family members held framed photos of the fallen officers exactly 30 years after their deaths. While off duty, Kilroy and Hauser worked as business partners, running a locksmith business out of a
A crowd gathers in the 25th District on May 13 to honor the 30-year anniversary of the passing of Officers Raymond Kilroy (right, bottom) and Gregory Hauser
Connecting the past
and present in the 25th District
40 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ JUNE 2020
truck to give some extra cushion to their salaries.
While on duty, both were touted as respectable and hard-working law en- forcement officers who never shied away when it came to putting their own wel- fare on the line for others.
The memorial roll call, which saw a formation of officers lined up outside in masks and surrounded by the flash- ing signals of patrol vehicles, served as a way of connecting past officers to pres- ent ones while ensuring the families that their loved ones are forever remembered in the 25th District.
A wave of condolences in the form of blue hearts and praying hand emojis, along with heartfelt sentiments from
those who remembered the evening of the officers’ passing, flooded in on social media to help memorialize the ultimate sacrifice made by the two brave men.
“Condolences to their families and to their family in blue,” community mem- ber Theodore Robinson posted. “Forever R.I.P.”
“I remember that night,” community member Mike Hayes added. “A sad and tragic event. RIP officers.”
And as the bagpipes continued to ring out through the streets of the 25th Dis- trict, the sound served as a sobering re- minder to current officers of Kilroy and Hauser’s lives and the breadth of service that came before them.