Trooper Scott Alan Patrick

Trooper Patrick was dispatched to assist a motorist reported to be in need of assistance. It was just before 4:30 A.M. three days before Christmas. Trooper Patrick's wife was pregnant with their first child, and they were planning to move into their newly built home a few days later.

Trooper Patrick located the disabled vehicle in a grassy area off an exit ramp from the Bohrman Expressway and observed a subject walking away from it. He stopped the subject and instructed him to put his hands on the trunk of the police vehicle. As he attempted to do a "pat down" search of the individual for weapons, a struggle ensued.

The struggle continued as the officer and suspect moved around the passenger's side to the front of the vehicle. There the subject was able to break free from Trooper Patrick, draw a weapon, then turn and fire two shots. One of the bullets struck Trooper Patrick in his upper body just above the panel of his bullet-resistant vest. Because Trooper Patrick was bending over at the time, the bullet traveled downward into his chest cavity.

Despite being shot, Trooper Patrick was able to radio for assistance and return fire. He was unaware that the vehicle had been stolen the previous week and died less than a half hour later while in surgery at Northlake Methodist Hospital.

The suspect hid inside then under a semi-trailer that had stopped at the scene. An assisting trooper arrived and was directed to where the suspect was hiding. When confronted, the suspect fled and climbed into the cab of the tractor-trailer. The suspect attempted to put the vehicle into gear and, after making threatening gestures toward the trooper, was shot twice.

At the time of the incident, the suspect was on parole for selling crack cocaine near a school and, although being sentenced to two years in prison, had been released after 90 days. One of the stipulations of his parole was that he was not to leave the state of Illinois.

The suspect was arrested and, in May 2006, was convicted of Murder and Auto Theft. In July 2006, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Trooper Patrick's son was born 5-1/2 months after his death. His brother Jamie serves as an Indiana State Excise Police Officer.

In 2006, State Road 10 between Wheatfield and Demotte in Jasper County was renamed the "Trooper Scott A. Patrick Memorial Highway" in his honor.

To further honor his memory, Trooper Patrick's wife, Melissa, established the Trooper Scott Patrick Flag Foundation. She is also a founding Trustee of SUPPORTING HEROES.