Patrolman Jerry E. Murphy

Jerry E. Murphy

Patrolman Jerry E. Murphy was gunned down responding to a burglary in progress call.

At approximately 4:30 p.m., two suspects were burglarizing an apartment when the occupant pressed an alarm to his brother’s apartment. The victim’s brother called police.

When officers arrived at the scene and ordered the men out, the response they received was gunfire.

Officer Murphy entered the building through a rear window and went to the lobby where the armed suspects were now holed up. He was shot and killed before he could return fire.

Tear gas bombs forced on suspect upstairs where he tried to gain entry of an apartment by identifying himself as a police officer. The female occupant called down to a uniformed officer. She was instructed to call the detective bureau and ask for reinforcements.

Within minutes, several squads of back up arrived. They stormed the lobby where they found Murphy dead beside two of the gunmen. The third suspect shouted from the third floor that he would surrender and came down.

He was arrested and indicted for the murder of Officer Murphy.