EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (AP) — An Illinois State Police trooper died from wounds suffered early Friday while executing a search warrant in East St. Louis.
Trooper Nicholas Hopkins, 33, of Waterloo, a 10-year veteran of the force, was wounded during an exchange of gunfire while serving the warrant at an East St. Louis home, said State Police Acting Director Brendan Kelly. He later died at a hospital.
After the shooting, police surrounded the home and arrested three people. Police remained on the scene throughout the day, uncertain if another suspect was barricaded in the house, according to authorities. The three people arrested were not identified.
Police didn’t say if anyone else was shot, nor have they revealed the issues addressed in the search warrant.
Waterloo Mayor Tom Smith says Hopkins was married and the father of four-year-old twins and an infant daughter.
“It is nearly impossible to express the depth of my sadness and my condolences to the entire Hopkins’ family and his friends and the Illinois State Police family,” Kelly said. “I give my thanks to troopers who performed CPR for an extended period on their fellow trooper to sustain their brother’s life so that his family could see him one last time.”
In a statement following the shooting, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker noted state troopers display unbelievable courage and “put their lives on the line for us every single day.”
“Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers during this dangerous, active situation in East St. Louis and every day,” he said.
U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Illinois Steve Weinhoeft says the area where the shooting of Hopkins occurred is “particularly dangerous.”
“He (Hopkins) was trying to make that community safer for every man, woman and child,” Weinhoeft said.
The shooting Friday, was the latest of law enforcement officers while attempting to serve a warrant, and the second of an Illinois State trooper this month.
A Philadelphia man who barricaded himself in a house is charged with attempted murder for the Aug. 14 shooting of six police officers.
Maurice Hill, 36, is accused of shooting at officers who were serving a drug warrant and then keeping police at bay while he fired from inside a building. The six officers were released after being treated at hospitals. Four other men are charged with drug offenses.
A suburban Chicago man has been charged with attempted murder for shooting and wounding an Illinois state trooper who was serving a warrant at the man’s home.
The wounded trooper was with other officers attempting to serve the warrant Aug. 15 at the home of Volodymyr Dragan, 43, of Wheeling when someone inside fired shots, striking a trooper in the arm. Dragan is being held without bond.
The officer was taken to a nearby hospital with injuries that weren’t life-threatening.
In addition to attempted murder, Dragan also is charged with aggravated battery with a firearm to a police officer, aggravated unlawful restraint and aggravated assault of a police officer.
Illinois State Police has also suffered an unusual number of fatalities this year with the deaths of three troopers.
Troopers Christopher Lambert, in January, and Brooke Jones-Story, in March, were struck by vehicles. Trooper Gerald Ellis died in an automobile crash in March.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/illinois-trooper-shot-east-st-215324520.html
I keep wondering why American cops are armed, and why armed cops are invariably viewed as a threat to civilians. There are countries that do not arm their cops, and stats for both police and civilian gun deaths are either zero or near zero in those countries. Isn’t that what we want?
When cops are armed, they do not use their brains to diffuse sensitive situations, they merely invoke their armed control over the situation. That kind of action causes every honest man to ask WTF. That kind of bully action supports the idea that cops represent the government plantation masters, and not the civilians.
Isn’t it interesting that even armed criminals tend NOT to shoot non-threatening unarmed cops at a time when they could easily do so? Isn’t it also interesting that crime and gun violence is always low in well armed communities? Isn’t it interesting that the crime and gun violence rate in America is always the highest in large cities that have the most restrictions that prevent people from being able to carry guns for their own defense?
So, if we want peace on our streets, which we claim we do, maybe it is time to universally arm the people and disarm the government. I want our cops to be our neighbors, not our prison guards.
And no, the pre-crime mentality of the proposed red flag gun laws will never work as intended, but they will help assure violence in America, and will insure that innocent Americans either get sent to jail or get killed. Is that what we want? I don’t think so.
So, as we allegedly live under a constitution in this country, with documented constitutional restraints imposed on government actions, let’s start to enforce constitutional law, shall we. There is no excuse for allowing corruption and criminality to occur in government. Screw all that.
“More guns, less crime.” John Lott
They are blackwater corporate enforcers existing with NO authority from WE the people. They have NO authority to stop anyone for anything. They are in DIRECT VIOLATION of our Bill of Rights, specifically Articles 4, 9 & 10.
Cops are NOT lawful law enforcement, rather they enforce corporate edict/policy. Sheriff is, but ONLY under the organic constitution which is NOT operating. What exists at present is a corporation by way of fraud and treason.
The 14th amendment grants privileges and imunities as well as makes you a subject, again a FRAUD.
So to answer your question, No, this is not what I want.
Probably a bullshit warrant , especially if he came alone … there’s more TRUTH we’re not being told
The people are done taking your shit tyrants
HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
YOUR “CAREER CHOICE” CREATED A WIDOW……I BET IT NEVER DAWNED ON YOU THAT YOU MIGHT BE GOING SOMETHING “ILLEGAL”.
DUMB F@CR!!!
YOU STUPID SON OF A BITCH……….,.
“Police didn’t say if anyone else was shot, nor have they revealed the issues addressed in the search warrant.”
Oh, so now we have ‘secret charges warrants’?
That being the case… ALL those pigs involved should have been shot dead.
“Trooper Nicholas Hopkins, 33, of Waterloo, a 10-year veteran of the force,…”
Took one for his Masonic brothers at the perfect age.
And after 10 years, he’s done more than enough dirt & treason to richly deserve that ‘heroes’ funeral – best news of the day.
FILTHY MAGGOT!!!