New bodycam footage shows the grim moment a ‘hero’ Chicago police officer honored as the ‘Pride of South Side’ called out to the gunman before being fatally shot.
Detective Allan Reddins, 40, was shot and killed outside the Oak Park Public Library on Black Friday after yelling out to suspect Jerrell Thomas, 37, to not reach for his gun.
Bodycam footage, released on Thursday, showed the moment Reddins got to the scene, alongside Sargent Manny Ruiz Jr.
‘Don’t reach, bro. Don’t reach. Keep your hands up,’ Reddins can be heard yelling at the suspect.
Ruiz can be heard on his body-worn camera telling the suspect ‘don’t reach’ several times.
‘I have to go back home,’ Thomas responded.
Seconds later, Thomas allegedly fires a shot, striking and killing Reddins.
Several more shots can be heard ringing out, but it is unclear who fired them. A few minutes go by before more officers arrive on the scene can be heard telling him to ‘drop your weapon’ while Thomas hid behind one of the library’s pillars.
Detective Allan Reddins, 40, was shot and killed outside the Oak Park Public Library on Black Friday after yelling out to suspect Jerrell Thomas, 37, to not reach for his gun
Thomas, who is in custody, is facing 56 felony charges, including first-degree murder
More gunshots can be heard, one striking Thomas as officers yell at him to ‘stay down.’
An officer can be seen handcuffing Thomas as he began frantically crying out: ‘Ow, my leg, ah, ah, ow, my leg!’
Officers applied a tourniquet to his injury and recovered a handgun from under a bench outside the library.
Both Reddins and Thomas were taken to the Loyola University Medical Center for treatment. Reddins was pronounced dead after taking a gunshot to his left side.
Reddins, a father, joined the force in 2019 after serving two years as a Metra police officer. He became a detective in 2022.
‘Allan was wise beyond his years,’ Oak Park Police Chief Shatonya Johnson said in her eulogy after his funeral last month.
‘No one would have known he had just shy of eight years in this profession. His commitment to serving is unparalleled. His dedication to the department and to the Oak Park community was undeniable.
‘Don’t reach, bro. Don’t reach. Keep your hands up,’ Reddins can be heard yelling at the suspect moments before he would be struck by a bullet
Several more shots can be heard ringing out before Thomas was struck in the leg and taken into custody
An officer can be seen handcuffing Thomas as he began frantically crying out: ‘Ow, my leg, ah, ah, ow, my leg!’
‘I knew immediately Allan was an asset to the Oak Park Police Department and to the Oak Park community.’
Thomas, who is in custody, is facing 56 felony charges, including first-degree murder.
He is expected to appear back in court on March 4.
