RIP Officer Nathaniel Taylor Jr.

[Bayoupiper 738]

Chicago cop gunned down

 

September 29, 2008 at 12:58 AM

 

 

More than a hundred Chicago police officers gathered Sunday night in the parking lot of the Cook County morgue, standing at attention as the body of a fellow officer was wheeled inside, led by two officers holding candles.

 

It was the somber end to a day in which police held vigil at an Oak Lawn hospital, shedding tears for Nathaniel Taylor Jr., 39, wounded in an early-morning burst of gunfire.

 

Cops described Taylor, a 14-year veteran of the police force, as a workhorse who always dreamed of becoming an officer. People in Taylor's off-duty world said the 39-year-old was a loving father of a young daughter, a man who hosted barbecues in the summer and helped shuttle a child to school when a parent worked the night shift.

Taylor was pronounced dead at Advocate Christ Hospital at 6:02 p.m. Sunday, about 12 hours after he was shot while executing a search warrant. He was the second Chicago police officer killed in the line of duty in the last three months.

 

In the South Chicago neighborhood where the officer was mortally wounded, residents were baffled by the shooting. The man who police believe shot Taylor, identified by the Independent Police Review Authority as Lamar Cooper, headed up the block's neighborhood watch association, helped rally neighbors to have speed bumps installed on the street and was known for keeping a meticulous lawn.

 

"We thought he was the good guy in the neighborhood," said Terrell Murray, who lives a few houses away. "We thought he was working for us."

 

But public records show Cooper, 37, is a felon who has served time in Illinois for attempted murder. Illinois Department of Corrections spokeswoman Januari Smith said Cooper was last released from prison in December 2004 after a burglary conviction.

 

Police said Cooper was sitting in a Geo Prism in the 7900 block of South Clyde Avenue about 5:30 a.m. Sunday when four narcotics officers approached. The officers were about to execute a search warrant on Cooper's home. According to Fraternal Order of Police Vice President Bill Dougherty, the officers were wearing jackets with the word "raid" printed on the front and back, clearly identifying them as police.

 

Police spokeswoman Monique Bond said the suspect, while still inside his vehicle, opened fire on the officers. Another officer shot back and critically wounded Cooper, who was taken to Stroger Hospital. Bond said police found packets of drugs stuffed in Cooper's mouth, and investigators later found drugs and guns in the man's residence.

 

As of late Sunday, Cooper had not been charged.

 

Police Supt. Jody Weis said Taylor, who was shot in the head and chest, was a member of the department's Narcotics and Gang Investigation Section.

 

A lone Chicago police car was stationed outside the officer's home late Sunday, and nearby residents spent the day on the phone updating one another on the condition of the man they had known for more than a decade.

 

"He's going to be missed," said Roosevelt Farmer. "He's sure going to be missed."

 

Many recalled Taylor's friendly wave and smile and affinity for tossing meat on the grill and inviting folks over. He was working on a master's degree and planned to take the sergeant's exam

 

"He's like a brother to me," said April Knighten, 18, as she choked back tears. "My parents are at the hospital. You knew this could happen, but when it does, it's shocking."

 

Knighten recalled a time when her father was working the night shift and the officer volunteered to drive her to school in the mornings. He recently helped her move into her first apartment.

Deputy Chief of Detectives Al Wysinger was

at the hospital Sunday. He said Taylor had always wanted to be a cop, and was a workhorse.

"He was the first guy to set up the surveillance and the last guy there at the end of the night working on paperwork," Wysinger said. "He wasn't afraid, either, to get out on the street."

 

On the block where Taylor was shot, Cooper's neighbors rattled off details about the man that stood in stark contrast to the crime he is suspected of and the criminal record he has amassed. They said the longtime resident of the neighborhood is a devout Muslim often referred to on the block as "Islam."

 

He recently organized a neighborhood watch meeting at his home, which belonged to his parents until they died. During the gathering, residents voted for speed bumps to be installed on the block.

 

On Cooper's window there is a sign that reads: "Warning: This is a CAPS neighborhood watch community. We know our police."

 

"I am really kind of shocked," said neighbor Tonya Denton. "We believed he was trying to keep our block safe."

 

Cooper's two-story, blond-brick Georgian home has at least six security cameras mounted on the outside, and he owns three guard dogs, but Ronnie Barnes Jr., Cooper's next-door neighbor, didn't find any of that odd.

 

"That not unusual in the world we live in today," Barnes said.

 

Several neighbors said Cooper lives in the home with his wife, a 2-year-old daughter and a 10-year-old stepson, and makes a living working construction and doing odd jobs.

 

According to public records, Cooper was first convicted of burglary in 1989 and got 4 years' probation. In 1991, he was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to 6 years in prison.

 

He was again convicted of burglary in 2003 and sentenced to 6 years in prison, but was released late the next year.

 

Stacy St. Clair, Erika Slife and Angela Rozas, Chicago Tribune

Tribune reporters Gary Marx, Trevor Jensen, Jeff Long, James Janega, David Heinzmann, Steve Schmadeke, Emily S. Achenbaum and Rex W. Huppke contributed to this report.

__________________

[SJgunguy 5]

Another Father stolen from his child.

 

Another Son taken from his parents.

 

Another Wife now lies in an empty bed.

 

Another Hero vanquished.

 

May your sacrifice never be forgotten.

 

Godspeed officer Taylor

[Azrial 1,091]

A Police Officer shows just how much he cares everyday, even if it is the last thing he ever does.

 

RIP Brother.

[waltham_41 52]

As long as they keep letting people like the perp out of jail over and over with short sentences for severe crimes, this will keep happening.

 

Lock them bastards up and throw away the keys or use old sparky and send them to bad guy heaven and eventually the streets will be safe. For us and the police.

[G O B 3,516]

God rest his soul.

[ML Roak 0]

Officer Taylor, Rest In Peace.

To Mr. Cooper, may the fires of Hell lap at your balls for all eternity.