Patrolman Mitchell A. Stone

Mitchell A. Stone

Patrolman Mitchell A. Stone was shot and killed as he attempted to question a man who was reported to have a gun.

He and his partner were searching for the suspects when a female hailed their patrol car at W. Roosevelt Road and S. Wabash Avenue. She advised them that a man she had been with was carrying a gun. Her companion had already left the intersection and was headed to the parking lot at 1241 S. Michigan Avenue. Patrolman Stone followed the suspect there on foot. Minutes later, shots were heard and Patrolman Stone was found dying in the alley.

Captured a short time later, the suspect admitted to shooting Patrolman Stone because he didn't want to be caught while carrying a gun. He also provided police with information that led to the arrest of his accomplices and the recovery of stolen diamonds, that they had buried under gravel in the parking lot.

The 38-year-old ex-convict was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. During the next nine years, he received a stay of execution 15 times. In 1968 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that his sentence was unconstitutional because people who were against the death penalty were not allowed on the jury. One year later the Illinois Supreme Court commuted his sentence to 50 to 100 years. He was paroled in 1979.