Sep 28, 2006 7:17 pm US/Central
Metra Police Officer Shot And Killed In Harvey
Agency Offering $25,000 Reward For Information That Leads To Killer
CBS 2's Kristyn Hartman and Derrick Blakley contributed to this report.
HARVEY, Ill. (CBS) ―
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On their way to work Thursday morning, Metra passengers heard about the fatal shooting of a polie officer at the Harvey station the night before.
CBS
It was a sad first for
Metra; one of its officers was killed in the line of duty Wednesday night.
The officer was shot in the head on patrol at the station in Harvey.
"He was a fine officer, wonderful spirit and it's a tragic loss to the whole Metra family," Metra police chief James Sanford said.
43-year-old
Thomas A. Cook, a Metra police officer for three years was found shot in the back of the head last night 9 p.m. Wednesday, slumped in his squad car near Harvey's 147th Street Metra Electric station.
Resident Eric Lee lives nearby. "I was screaming 'Officer, are you okay? Officer, are you okay? I didn't get no response and I happened to come outside with the cordless phone. I immediately called 911," Lee said.
The station had been plagued this summer by armed robberies, car burglaries and assaults. Ironically, police said, increased enforcement had already shown results.
"We have pretty much eliminated crime in the area. But we still wanted to have a presence in that area and that's what he was doing last night," Sanford said.
The South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force was investigating and there was an increased police presence at the station Thursday afternoon.
Still, the slaying unnerved commuters who've noticed and appreciated the increased patrols. "As a matter of fact, a couple of them have escorted me through the alley off and on," Marlene Ivy said.
At the Riverdale police station, where Cook was a police officer for a decade and his father was police chief for 34 years, black bunting was hung Thursday and flags were flown at half-staff.
Metra is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the murder.
Metra police ask anyone with information about the shooting to call 312-322-2800.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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