Chicago Police Department, Illinois
End of Watch: Thursday, March 29, 1973
Age: 41
Tour of Duty: 14 years
Badge Number: 11561
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: March 29, 1973
Weapon Used: Handgun
Suspect Info: Convicted of murder
Patrolman Wendell Hicks was shot and killed while attempting to arrest two men who were committing a robbery in the parking lot of a bowling alley.
He was off duty and leaving the bowling alley when he encountered the robbery. He identified himself and started to approach them, prompting one of them to flee in the victim's car. Patrolman Hicks chased the car in his personal vehicle until it crashed on 69th Street. He then chased the suspect into an alley between Michigan Avenue and Indiana Avenue where he was shot.
Both assailants were apprehended and convicted of murder.
Patrolman Hicks was a U.S. Air Force veteran and had served with the Chicago Police Department for 14 years. He had been shot and wounded in the line of duty once before, in 1968. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.