Chicago cop shot himself dead at detention center amid BLM protests, was struggling with 2018 death of officer
A Chicago police officer killed himself less than two weeks after being promoted to head the department's drug crime unit. The tragic suicide took place at a police facility linked to recent anti-racism protests that have taken over the city.
57-year-old Deputy Chief Dion Boyd was found dead at the Chicago Police Department's Homan Square detention center on Tuesday morning with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The tragedy came to light at a press conference just hours later, where Supt David Brown remembered Boyd as a "respected command staff member" who had served in the force for the last three decades.
"There's really no way to convey or express the magnitude of this loss," Brown said as he was flanked by other CPD leaders. "We are shocked and saddened at the loss that is deeply felt by me and the many colleagues and friends with whom Deputy Chief Boyd worked and mentored throughout his career."
While Brown did not reveal the cause of death, a number of local outlets reported that Boyd had shot himself to death.
Boyd's body was discovered in his office by his colleagues, police sources told CBS 2.
Boyd was sworn in as the CPD's deputy chief of criminal networks on July 15, placing him in charge of "overseeing the narcotics, gang investigation and vice divisions, and the department's role in the CPD/FBI Violent Crimes Task Force," per CBS 2.
Before his recent promotion, Boyd spent decades as a homicide detective and undercover narcotics officer. He even served as the Area One commander on the South Side and commander of the Wentworth District.
Brown pleaded with officers Tuesday afternoon to "always remember to take care of ourselves and each other."
"There is no shame in reaching out for help," the superintendent said. "Please, officers, please, stay humble, stay human, stay safe, and stay well."
In recent years, the CPD has witnessed an alarming number of officer suicides -- despite the department's efforts to improve its mental health counseling services.
A 2017 report by the Department of Justice found that the officer suicide rate in Chicago was 60 percent higher than the national average.
Police sources who recently met with Boyd to discuss investigations told the Chicago Sun-Times how he had seemed enthusiastic about his new position.
However, those in Boyd's inner circle revealed he had been struggling with the death of Samuel Jimenez, one of his officers in the Wentworth District who was killed in a shooting at a Bronzeville hospital in 2018.
Boyd's body was transported from the Homan Square detention facility to the Cook County medical examiner's office, where dozens of officers gathered to pay their respects.
There have been several demonstrations held outside the Homan Square facility in recent weeks, with protesters calling for the facility to be shut down due to apparent 'injustices' that they claim have taken place there.
During a rally on Friday, activist Damon Williams alleged that people detained there had been "hit with phone books, electrocuted, sexually violated, held without access to legal counsel for hours sometimes days [and] held without a bathroom."