Slain Oak Park Police Detective Remembered as “Natural Born Leader” and “Devoted Father”
A “Devoted” Family Man and Police Officer Killed in the Line of Duty
Police Detective Allan Reddins, a 40-year-old Chicago resident and five-year veteran of the Oak Park Police Department, was killed in the line of duty on Friday morning near the public library in downtown Oak Park.
A “Natural Born Leader” and “Devoted Father”
Police Chief Shatonya Johnson described Reddins as a “natural born leader” who had a “talent that was needed here.” She said he was a “devoted father” who leaves behind a 19-year-old son and a host of friends and officers.
Reddins was a former Metra police officer who joined the Oak Park Police Department in 2019 and was made a detective two years ago. He was on patrol on Friday morning due to staffing shortages.
Johnson did not announce charges against the suspect, who was shot by another officer during the attack.
Just after 9:35 a.m., the Oak Park Fire Department responded to a shooting in the 800 block of Lake Street and found Reddins shot in the left side, police said. He was taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood in critical condition, but was pronounced dead at the hospital. It is the department’s first line-of-duty death since 1938.
A short time before the shooting, a gunman was seen leaving the Chase Bank branch in the 1000 block of Lake Street with a gun, which prompted the initial response. The person who allegedly shot the officer was shot in the leg by another officer and was treated at the scene before being taken to Loyola University Medical Center, where his condition was stabilized.
First Responders Pay Their Respects
Shortly before 3 p.m., dozens of first responders gathered outside Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood to pay their respects to Reddins, who was pronounced dead there after being shot on Nov. 29, 2024.
Community Reacts to Tragic Event
Agnes Albert, who works in the building next to the library, said she had been in the bathroom when the shooting happened, but her client heard the exchange of gunfire.
“He asked me to check what was going on because he heard fireworks,” Albert said, adding she heard a man yelling about pain in his leg being swarmed by police moments later.
“Maybe people should stay at home and watch TV instead of running with guns,” Albert said.
