OR - Officer Christopher Kilcullen, 43, shot to death, Eugene, 22 April 2011

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Oh no. He died. Bless his heart. My prayers go out to his family and co-workers. Oregon's police officers have had a hard hard time recently:

http://registerguard.com/web/newslo...ilcullen-officer-springfield-highway.html.csp

UPDATE: EPD motorcycle officer dies after being shot

"A Eugene Police Department motorcycle officer was fatally shot while chasing a fleeing motorist into Springfield a little after 4:30 p.m. Friday afternoon, police said.

The officer was identified by Police Chief Pete Kerns as Chris Kilcullen, a 12-year veteran of the city police force....."

more at link
 
He shoulda shot her back if he was able.
RIP officer
 
He was a motorcycle officer and it says that he didn't return fire. How often do women shoot and kill officers? Not that often, I don't think.

Not that many details have been released. I can't find a suspect's name. He stopped the vehicle but I'm not even sure he got off his motorcycle as it's shown on it's side in the link above. She might have shot him while he was running her plate, before he even stepped up to the window.

So so sad.
 
First, I want to correct a mistake. I thought I saw a photo of the motorcycle on its side. I can't find it now so maybe I was wrong. In the photo I'm seeing today, things are strewn about near it but it's still standing.

And they've released the name of the killer. Excuse me, alleged killer.

http://registerguard.com/web/newslo...kilcullen-eugene-officer-springfield.html.csp


Officer shot dead during car chase
A Springfield woman is charged with murder in the death of a 12-year Eugene police force veteran

"Eugene police officer Chris Kilcullen — a 12-year veteran of the city police force and a father of two — was fatally shot Friday afternoon while pursuing a car that had sped away from his motorcycle during an attempted traffic stop on Interstate 105, police said.

Authorities arrested the woman who allegedly killed Kilcullen following a standoff with a police SWAT team that cornered her east of Lowell. That was after she allegedly led officers on a 20-mile chase to the rural area after fleeing the scene of the shooting, which occurred about 4:30 p.m. along the Highway 126 Expressway in Springfield’s Thurston area.

The suspected shooter is identified as Cheryl D. Kidd, 56, of Springfield. Kidd was being interviewed late Friday night by detectives and will be lodged in the Lane County Jail on a murder charge, Springfield Police Chief Jerry Smith said. It remains unclear what led Kidd to allegedly pull out a handgun and shoot the officer...."

and

"....Eugene Police Chief Pete Kerns spoke of Kilcullen’s “honorable career” with the department and recalled the officer as a “very popular guy” who was “relentlessly positive and upbeat....”


More at link (including a detailed description of the entire incident)
 
This is so sad, just unbelievable.

I wonder what would prompt her to out and out pull a gun on him and shoot to kill? Something in her past that was a reason not to get arrested? It makes one wonder if she had a standing warrant and in no way was she going to jail.

God Bless his family, friends and all those in the PD. LE is a life of dedication to serve the people and they all take a risk. We just hope something like this never happens.

xox
 
Once again, the safety net for the mentally ill is just not in place. This person should not have been living independently. Because she was, we've lost a LEO, a husband and father. It's so wrong on so many levels, even for the suspect. Some new info:

http://kezi.com/news/local/210556

"Neighbors of the woman who allegedly shot and killed Chris Kilcullen are speaking out and giving insight into the suspects mental state of mind. 56-year-old Cheryl Kidd lived by herself at the Royal Chateau. Her neighbors say Kidd rarely had visitors and wasn't a social person...."

and

"...But neighbors heard more from her than they wanted to about a week ago. They say Kidd was playing her guitar at night with all of her doors and windows open. So they called the police. "She was upset. More upset that they got there and yelling obscenities," says Julie Olson. They say the officer let her go without citation. "Because she was too mentally incapable of understanding what she would be getting for a citation...."

and

"...But after hearing about officer Kilcullen's death Friday night, neighbors wish now more than ever, officers would've taken her in that night...."

More at link
 
Missizzy said:
Once again, the safety net for the mentally ill is just not in place. This person should not have been living independently. Because she was, we've lost a LEO, a husband and father. It's so wrong on so many levels, even for the suspect. Some new info:

http://kezi.com/news/local/210556

"Neighbors of the woman who allegedly shot and killed Chris Kilcullen are speaking out and giving insight into the suspects mental state of mind. 56-year-old Cheryl Kidd lived by herself at the Royal Chateau. Her neighbors say Kidd rarely had visitors and wasn't a social person...."

and

"...But neighbors heard more from her than they wanted to about a week ago. They say Kidd was playing her guitar at night with all of her doors and windows open. So they called the police. "She was upset. More upset that they got there and yelling obscenities," says Julie Olson. They say the officer let her go without citation. "Because she was too mentally incapable of understanding what she would be getting for a citation...."

and

"...But after hearing about officer Kilcullen's death Friday night, neighbors wish now more than ever, officers would've taken her in that night...."

More at link
Click to expand...

Hi Misizzy, It just seems like such a bizarre way to strike out at LE if she had a beef with an officer IMO. We don't know yet about her background but she had to be either mentally ill or psychotic, right? Maybe it took awhile for her to snap to strike out in such a violent way, with no provocation at the scene that we know of.
 
There's a comment in one of the articles that the officer pointed at her to stop her car. Maybe she thought, in an addled state, that he was pointing a gun at her. I haven't seen a statement, though, that he pointed his gun. Has anyone? But still, she had to have the gun and have it ready. Her neighbors seem to have known about her issues for quite some time. I'm assuming that as the chase played out, her anxiety escalated. But an officer has to stop a fleeing car and it sounds as if he attempted to do that in a safe manner.

Just so tragic. It will be interesting to see if she was really trying to avoid arrest or was having some sort of psychotic break. The woman should NOT have had a gun, IMO.
 
No, he did not pull his gun.

http://www.odmp.org/officer/20827-police-officer-chris-kilcullen

"...The vehicle swerved around several cars that were stopped at a red light and Officer Kilcullen pulled up alongside it and lowered his kickstand. As he indicated for the woman to pull over she fired a weapon at him, fatally wounding him...."


Being that police were called to Kidd's apartment earlier this week for a noise disturbance and she became upset due to their presence, it would seem that she had some sort of fear of the police. If she'd had an outstanding warrant, they would have arrested her then. As it was, they didn't even cite her as they felt that she wasn't capable of understanding the citation. I wonder if the woman even had a license. Was it her car? From the neighbors' statements, it sounds as if she suffers from either psychosis or schizophrenia.
 
http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Memorial-set-for-slain-Ore-officer-1349423.php

Slain Ore. officer called 'remarkable' negotiator

"...Kilcullen was hired in 1998 and won employee of the month awards in May 2004 and June 2008 after conducting the most investigations, arrests, traffic citations and field interviews among Eugene police officers. He moved to the traffic unit in 2005 and was a longtime member of the department's crisis negotiation team.

Before becoming a police officer, Kilcullen was a radio DJ and worked in youth social services. The father of two earned bachelor's degrees in sociology and psychology.
Eugene Police Chief Pete Kerns on Saturday called Kilcullen's career "remarkable" and said he had earned 85 commendations in his career, even from drivers he stopped. "He saved many lives from suicide and other disasters," as part of the department's crisis negotiation team.."

and

"...Officer Jim McBride said he served with Kilcullen for 12 years. "If you were to rank (Eugene Police Department) officers from the nicest guys down, Chris Kilcullen was No. 1," McBride said. "She got our best. That's it."

more at link (including info about the memorial)
 
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2011/04/slain_eugene_officer_switched.html

Slain Eugene officer switched to motorcycle patrol to spend more time with 4-year-old daughter


".....Colleagues and family remembered Kilcullen as a devoted father and a 12-year veteran so professional at his job that even people whom he cited sang his praises, The Register-Guard reported. "I've seen him arrest bad guys who treated him like dirt, and I saw him respond to them by treating them like true gentlemen," said Lt. Doug Mozan at a news conference Saturday. "He treated people who basically didn't value him as a human as if they were a member of his whole family."

Kilcullen switched to riding motorcycles so he could spend more time with his 4-year-old daughter, Katie, since the motorcycle beat meant day shifts and four-day weeks. He took his daughter everywhere when he wasn't on duty, and she happily tagged along with him all over town, as he picked up supplies for building beehives or a two-story playhouse for his girls, the officer's father said.

Aside from Katie, Kilcullen left behind a wife, Kristie, and Kristie's daughter from a previous marriage, 11-year-old Sidney...."


More at link (and a great photo)
 
I don't think there was much question about Kidd being mentally ill. It is so hard for me to accept that people with such severe disabilities do not have more services and living options, which would thereby keep them and others far safer. I know that I'm always the one to look at community services and societal implications but I'm also realistic. A woman with this level of disability cannot handle the stressors of everyday life. There's not a thing in the world her family could do differently. It is all related to the rights of the disabled to live in the "least restrictive environment" and how that happens to sync comfortably with ever-lessoning services. It doesn't always work to anyone's benefit. No one can tell me that Ms. Kidd was enjoying her life as it was. The irony is that she will most likely do well in a structured environment--prison or the state hospital. Why did we have to lose a police officer in the process?

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-n...ne_officer_had_history_of_mental_illness.html

Woman accused of killing Eugene officer had history of mental illness

"The suspect in the killing of a Eugene police officer on Friday is a woman -- an occurrence so rare that national experts are hard pressed to recall another case. Cheryl Dawn Kidd, 56, was arraigned on Monday in Lane County Circuit Court on an aggravated murder charge in the killing of Officer Chris Kilcullen, who was shot dead with one bullet in an attempted traffic stop on Friday.

Neighbors expressed surprise but also said she was odd...."

and

"...He [Kidd's brother] said the family was devastated by Kilcullen's killing. "It's a sad deal," he said. "I feel so sorry for the family of the policeman. My heart aches." He said his sister suffers from mental illness. "Schizophrenia," he said, "19 years old...."

more at link
 
My friend's pastor is going to be leading the services on Friday. They will be held at the brand new Matt Court at the University of Oregon. Everyone is deeply saddened by the loss of Officer Kilcullen. We haven't lost an officer in the Eugene police department in decades.

:rose: Rest in Peace :rose:
 
In my experience, Eugene is a close knit small city. I'm certain that the memorial will be packed. I know that a convoy of Southern Oregon officers are planning to drive up.
 
Police say Kidd bought the .38 caliber pistol, believed to have been used in the shooting, last year. While she reportedly has a developmental disability and has struggled with mental issues, she still passed the background check required before buying a gun in Oregon.

John Kilcullen, who is a retired law enforcement officer, says he believes changes need to be made to Oregon’s gun laws.

http://www.kmtr.com/news/local/stor...ws-need-to-change/GvWhREkMy0aDu2yvGAPAlg.cspx
 
Between 700 and 1,000 police and fire vehicles are expected to participate in a motorcade procession through much of the Eugene-Springfield area before Eugene police officer Chris Kilcullen’s memorial service on Friday at Matthew Knight Arena, Eugene Police Chief Pete Kerns said Wednesday.

“They’re coming from all over Oregon, the region and the United States” and could also include members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Kerns said.

http://www.registerguard.com/web/up...e-procession-police-vehicles-service.html.csp
 
I've never made it a secret that I don't like guns. I've never held one or shot one. I don't think I've ever even seen one up close. That said, I fully understand why a person might want a gun or even enjoy collecting guns. To each his/her own.

However, I do NOT believe that a person with a developmental disability or diagnosed severe mental illness should be allowed to legally purchase a gun. For this woman to be receiving DDS services or SSI, her disability would be of a level to severely impact her life. Of course I realize that a person can obtain a gun illegally. But it just doesn't seem prudent to allow a person with this array of challenges to own a gun. JMO.

My heart will be in Eugene tomorrow.
 
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