The Officer Down Memorial Page Remembers . . .
 
Photograph: Sergeant William T. Shanley

Patch image: Chicago Police Department, Illinois






Sergeant William T. Shanley
Chicago Police Department
Illinois

End of Watch: Thursday, December 14, 1933

Biographical Info
Age: 42
Tour of Duty: 20 years
Badge Number: 760

Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Thursday, December 14, 1933
Weapon Used: Handgun; Revolver
Suspect Info: Murdered

Sergeant William Shanley was shot and killed while investigating reports of a suspicious man who had dropped off a suspicious vehicle at a repair shop on North Broadway Boulevard.

Sergeant Shanley's partner went to a nearby call box to report their location as Sergeant Shanley entered the garage. The garage owner informed him the man would be back at 4:30 pm. When the man returned with a female companion Sergeant Shanley confronted him and asked to see his driver's license. The man reached into his overcoat, produced a revolver, and fatally shot Sergeant Shanley.

The suspect, John Hamilton, was a member of the notorious Dillinger Gang. He was later found murdered in Wisconsin.

Sergeant Shanley had served with the Chicago Police Department for over 20 years. He was survived by his wife, two sons, and two daughters.

Led by John Dillinger, the Dillinger Gang was a notorious group of mid-west bank robbers. Associates of the gang were responsible for the fatal shootings of 13 law enforcement officers in 1933 and 1934.

Two infamous members of the gang, John Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson, were shot and killed by law enforcement officers in separate incidents.

The other gang members were either murdered by criminals, shot and killed by law enforcement officers, executed for their crimes, or sentenced to time in prison.

Related Line of Duty Deaths
Patch image: Chicago Police Department, IllinoisSheriff Jess L. Sarber
Allen County Sheriff's Department, OH
EOW: Thursday, October 12, 1933
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Patch image: Chicago Police Department, IllinoisDetective Henry C. Perrow
San Antonio Police Department, TX
EOW: Monday, December 11, 1933
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Patch image: Chicago Police Department, IllinoisTrooper Eugene Teague
Indiana State Police, IN
EOW: Wednesday, December 20, 1933
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Patch image: Chicago Police Department, IllinoisPatrolman William Patrick O'Malley
East Chicago Police Department, IN
EOW: Monday, January 15, 1934
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Patch image: Chicago Police Department, IllinoisUndersheriff Charles A. Cavanagh
St. Clair County Sheriff's Department, MI
EOW: Friday, March 16, 1934
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Patch image: Chicago Police Department, IllinoisSpecial Agent W. Carter Baum
United States Department of Justice - F..., US
EOW: Sunday, April 22, 1934
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Patch image: Chicago Police Department, IllinoisPatrolman Francis Lloyd Mulvihill
East Chicago Police Department, IN
EOW: Thursday, May 24, 1934
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Patch image: Chicago Police Department, IllinoisPatrolman Martin J. O'Brien
East Chicago Police Department, IN
EOW: Thursday, May 24, 1934
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Patch image: Chicago Police Department, IllinoisPatrolman Howard C. Wagner
South Bend Police Department, IN
EOW: Saturday, June 30, 1934
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Patch image: Chicago Police Department, IllinoisSpecial Agent Herman E. Hollis
United States Department of Justice - F..., US
EOW: Tuesday, November 27, 1934
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Patch image: Chicago Police Department, IllinoisSpecial Agent Samuel P. Cowley
United States Department of Justice - F..., US
EOW: Wednesday, November 28, 1934
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Patch image: Chicago Police Department, IllinoisChief of Police Franklin Pierce Culp
Fostoria Police Department, OH
EOW: Sunday, April 23, 1950
Cause of Death: Gunfire

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