Posted By: Parker Padgett March 16, 2021 @ 7:47 pm Local News, News, State
Officer Christopher Walsh Photo: Springfield Police Dept.
Springfield Police Officer Christopher Walsh, who died a year ago on March 16, 2020, was honored today during a ceremony outside the Springfield Police station.
Officer Walsh’s name was engraved on a memorial monument that was donated in 1995 and features the names of 10 other officers who died in the line of duty.
Officer Walsh was killed while responding to an active shooter call at a Springfield Kum and Go. Three people, Troy Rapp, Shannon Perkins, and Matthew Hicks-Morris were also killed. Two others, including Springfield Police Officer Josiah Overton, were severely injured.
Fallen Springfield Officer Honored Year After Tragedy
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Fallen Springfield Officer Honored Year After Tragedy
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Since they did not have a traditional wedding, Chris and Sheri Walsh were planning to gather friends and family for a recommitment ceremony in 2020.
But instead of shopping for a wedding gown at Gracie s Bridal this past March, Sheri Walsh picked out a black dress to wear to her husband s funeral.
Chris Walsh, a 32-year-old Springfield Police Department officer, was among four people killed by a lone gunman March 15 at the Kum & Go store on East Chestnut Expressway.
A year later, Sheri Walsh wants her husband to be remembered as a normal guy who did a beautiful thing. And she is working to continue his legacy of trying to make Springfield a better place.
Where we stand with the 28 violent deaths last year in Springfield
This past year was a record-breaking one in terms of homicides in the city of Springfield, mirroring a national trend of increasing murders in a year like none other.
According to the Springfield Police Department, there were 28 violent deaths in the cicty in 2020 where one person killed another in an incident that wasn t a traffic accident.
Of those 28 violent deaths, a police department spokeswoman said Friday that 20 are now considered murders by the FBI s definition, which excludes things like justified killings and accidental shootings.
Here s a look at that status of each case as of Friday, according to the Springfield Police Department: