Illinois Central Railroad Police Department, Railroad Police
End of Watch: Tuesday, February 17, 1931
Age: 36
Tour of Duty: 1 month
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: February 17, 1931
Weapon Used: Handgun; .32 caliber
Suspect Info: Shot and killed
Special Agent Christopher McClure was shot and killed at 9:15 pm while investigating a group of three suspicious men near the Mt. Pulaski, Illinois, rail yards.
He and another agent were on a special detail to ride a freight train from Springfield to Mt. Pulaski to try to catch a ring of freight car thieves who had been breaking into trains in the Mt. Pulaski yards. As the train approached the yards the agents saw three men huddled around a fire next to the railroad right of way. The agents jumped off the train and circled around.
The other agent remained hidden in a nearby cornfield as Agent McClure called out to the suspects. The suspect approached him and as he squatted down, Agent McClure shined his light on the suspect and asked what was in his hand. The man immediately opened fire with a .32-caliber handgun, striking Agent McClure in the heart. Both agents returned fire, striking the suspect five times. Agent McClure succumbed to his wound at the scene. The suspect died the next day.
Agent McClure had served with the Illinois Central Railroad Police Department for only one month, but had been employed with the railroad for eight years. He was survived by his wife and three children.