Slain Oak Park police Det. Allan Reddins was a ‘family man,’ chief says

Det. Allan Reddins was “a family man” who was committed to his 19-year-old son, his mother and siblings, Oak Park Police Chief Shatonya Johnson said in a news conference Friday afternoon.

Reddins, she added, was a “natural born leader” who had “talents we needed here.”

Speaking before the public and members of the news media, Johnson said Reddins, who was sworn into service in Oak Park in May 2019, served a “community he cherished.”

Reddins, 40, died at about 10:10 a.m. after a shootout on the 800 block of Lake Street. He had reported to a call shortly after 9:30 a.m. that a man with a gun was seen leaving Chase Bank on Lake Street. The shooting, police spokesman Dan Yopchick said in a statement, was about two blocks east of the bank.

Authorities said that Reddins, of Chicago, was shot in the left side and was transported to Loyola University Medical Center.

His death marks the first time an officer has died in the line of duty at the Oak Park Police Department since 1938.

The offender, who was shot in the leg, was taken to the same hospital. Charges are pending.

Johnson said that Reddins, as do most Oak Park officers, was riding alone Friday morning. She also acknowledged that Reddins, a detective since 2022, had been reassigned to patrol due to “staffing concerns.” He was riding his scheduled patrol shift when the incident occurred.

Area firefighters and police, as well as retired officers and others from nearby municipalities flocked to the scene, she added.

“This is the worst day for any chief of police,” she said. “Officers are suffering. I am hurting.”

Oak Park officials have said plans for a public memorial are being discussed and details will be shared when available.

Doris Kelley, of Chicago, said she was in traffic when she witnessed the shooting.

She said she was waiting behind a car she thought was turning into the Oak Park Public Library. Kelley said she turned to look and saw a man standing on the sidewalk with a gun.

She said she also saw ahead of her police car 510, which she said she recognized because she sees the officer assigned to that car in the morning when she runs for coffee.

“I thought I hope it’s not a gun and he’s holding something,” she said, “but you could tell by his stance that it was a gun.

“I was thinking it’s too early for something like this to be happening.”

The car number has not yet been confirmed as Reddins’.

Kelley, a former Oak Park resident, said she watched the officer approach the man. Traffic was moving again and she said she parked by the library at Kenilworth Avenue and Lake Street and heard three or four shots ring out. She said she watched through her rearview mirror as the officer ran back and took cover behind his car. She said she called a television news station to report the incident, then ran to the post office to pick up her mail.

After she left the post office, she said, she saw multiple police cars had flocked to the area and she heard a second round of shots fired.

“I didn’t think there would be a shooting when the officer got out of his car,” she said. “I was thinking, you know, he was going to talk him down or something.”

Officials across the state offered condolences to the detective’s family and the police department.

“The Village of Oak Park extends its deepest condolences to Detective Reddins’ family, friends and colleagues within the Oak Park Police Department and the wider law enforcement community as they process the grief caused by this senseless violence,” Yopchick said in a statement.

On X, Gov. JB Pritzker said “our hearts are with his family, loved ones, and the entire Oak Park Police Department.

“The City of Chicago would like to offer our deepest condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues at the Oak Park Police Department for the tragic loss of Police Detective Allan Reddins who was killed in the line of duty today,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said on X.

The Chicago Police Department, too, wrote that it “extends our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and coworkers of Oak Park Police Department Detective Allan Reddins who was shot and killed in the line of duty today.”

An investigation is ongoing.

Takeout 25, founded by Oak Park Trustee Ravi Parakkat, has modified its holiday gift card program to help support Reddins’ family. Gift cards purchased through this program will still benefit local restaurants, but donated gift cards will go to the OPPD, according to a Dec. 1 Takeout 25 email.

Additional donations raised through this program will go directly to Reddin’s family, according to the email. Gift card bundles can be purchased online by Dec. 6 or donated by Dec. 31.

“Let’s keep Detective Reddins and his loved ones in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time,” the email reads. “Thank you for showing up for our community in every way that matters.”

Publisher Dan Haley contributed to this story.

This story has been updated with information from an early evening news conference. It corrects earlier information supplied to Wednesday Journal. During breaking news, events are often fast-moving and errors sometimes happen and are unintentional. We are always transparent about errors and have updated the name of the bank where the suspect was seen. It was Chase Bank. We regret the error.