Suspect in shooting death of Oak Park Detective Allan Reddins charged with murder

A Chicago man accused of fatally shooting an Oak Park detective He was charged Friday, Oak Park officials announced Saturday.

Jerrell Thomas, 37, of North Lawndale, is charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder of a peace officer, possession of a stolen firearm and possession of a firearm by a felon, according to officials from Oak Park. Thomas was previously arrested for aggravated assault on a police officer, resisting a police officer and domestic assault.

Just after 9:35 a.m. Friday, the Oak Park Fire Department responded to a shooting in the 800 block of Lake Street and found Oak Park Detective Allan Reddins shot in the left side, Oak Park police said. Shortly before the shooting, a gunman was seen leaving the Chase Bank branch in the 1000 block of Lake Street with a gun, prompting the initial response.

Oak Park Police Detective Allan Reddins was fatally shot in the line of duty while responding to a call involving an armed felon on Nov. 29, 2024, police said.

Reddins, a 40-year-old Chicago resident and five-year veteran of the Oak Park Police Department, was taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood in critical condition but was pronounced dead at the hospital, police said . It is the department’s first on-duty death since 1938.

“He was just a natural leader, always going the extra step,” Oak Park Police Chief Shatonya Johnson said Friday during a late afternoon news conference.

Thomas was shot in the leg and is being treated at Loyola University Medical Center for “non-life-threatening injuries,” according to Oak Park officials. No bond hearing has been set.

As part of routine officer-involved shootings, the Illinois State Police Public Integrity Task Force is assisting with the investigation, according to Oak Park officials.