In the morning on November 29th, 2024, a
bank manager near Chicago noticed an
individual acting suspiciously after
lingering inside the business for about
15 minutes. When the manager approached
Jerel Thomas, he allegedly pulled a gun
from his waistband before leaving the
bank. Concerned for safety, the manager
alerted security who contacted Oak Park
Police. Bank security by the name of
Ellis. You should be stepping up to
speak with you. Officers quickly located
someone matching Gerald's description
two blocks east of the bank. I got one
with a kick. cold black hat about to
walk into the Oak Park Library. Blue
jeans, white shoes. While multiple
officers reported to the area, some
officers, including Oak Park Police
Detective Alan Reddens, stepped up to
patrol the area due to staffing
shortages within the department. Gerald
likely tried to enter the closed library
to avoid public view. But with the doors
locked after the Thanksgiving holiday,
he was forced to either confront
approaching officers or flee. Can I talk
to you for a second, sir? How you doing?
Good. How are you? All right. Keep your
hands. No, no. Keep your hands. Don't
reach, bro. Don't reach. Don't reach.
Don't reach. Don't reach. Keep your
hands up.
Put your hands up.
Put your hands up.
Hands up, man.
All three shots. Gerald opened fire in
multiple directions, attempting to hit
both officers in quick succession before
taking cover behind the library's
pillars. One bullet hit detective
officer Reddens in the right side,
causing him to collapse.
shot
fire at the library. Holy go park
library. He's going towards
Grove. Can you tell me if it's at the
library or in the park? At the library.
At the library. You still in fighting
with him right there. Off the front at
the library. I need more units over at
the library and I got an officer out.
Let me out.
You need a rifle. Get down here with a
rifle. Somebody shut down Grove. Get
over to Grove. Where's he at? He's
north. He's standing by a pillar over by
the library on the north side.
Drop your weapon.
[Laughter]
Drop your weapon.
We're talking to him. Where is he? He's
behind the the last pillar. Temporary.
You're talking to him. Brown coat. Looks
like he's got a Glock.
Manny, can you see him? Nope.
I'm behind you. All right.
03. Give me a car
off a grove a little bit further north
on the north side. Last pillar over
there.
Man, drop the gun and come out, man.
Drop the weapon.
Show
me 2240.
Oh, ocean and then going out.
2243. I got River Forest and Forest Park
coming your way. Let me know. Drop the
weapon.
Stop moving. Stop moving towards
[Music]
them. Intellectual property. This is I'm
on his east. I'm on this flank on the
east. Drop the gun. Intellectual
property. All three. Who's with officer?
[Music]
drop.
Hey,
I'm Edward.
Stay down. Stay down. Stay down. Stay
down. Put down. Down. Hands. Hands.
Hands.
52. Two shots.
Two shots.
Suspect down. Suspect down. Start
rolling
EMS. You need another unit. Correct. Got
the gun here.
Oh
you too.
This guy shot you can get one on him.
Where your shot? Where your shot? This
way. My leg. My leg. Which leg? Which
leg?
Compression up there. I think I hit him
in the head. So check his head. I just
do.
I put one through to the window, too.
I shot from the side. I shot from over
here. Where you at? Which leg? Your left
leg. My right leg. Right leg. Right leg.
Right.
His head, too. He's dripping from his
head.
Back of compression bandages on him. If
it's If it's above her, where you at?
You got the gun. Who's got the gun?
Right there under the bench.
It's got to be tight. It's going to hurt
to stop that bleeding. Both Gerald and
Detective Reddens were rushed to the
hospital. Gerald survived, but Detective
Reddens died, marking the first Oak Park
first responder killed in the line of
duty since 1938. He leaves behind a
19-year-old son, his mother, and a
grieving community. That afternoon,
retired officers from Chicago, River
Grove, Elmwood Park, and the Cook County
Sheriff's Office joined Oak Park
officers at the scene to salute the
fallen officer. Services were held soon
after to honor his life. Detective
Redden's dedication to protecting our
community, his courage, and his
unwavering commitment to justice will
forever be remembered. This is not a sad
moment. This is a pivotal moment in our
history, to come together, and to be
united as one. Detective Redden's own
son spoke to local news about his father
and offered some insight behind his
reputation as an officer after joining
the force in 2019 and becoming a
detective just 3 years later, which is
kind of quick cuz usually you don't hear
people becoming a detective until maybe
like 10 years in, but he hadn't been 5
years in he became a detective. So I
always was really proud of him for that.
He last saw his father on Thanksgiving
the day prior to the shooting. Never not
going to be a day that I don't miss my
dad. Some days feel heavier than others.
Of course, the holidays I wasn't really
in the holiday spirit at all, to say the
least. After being released from the
hospital, Jerel was brought to court in
a wheelchair where the following charges
were read. One count of first-degree
murder, one count of attempted murder of
a peace officer, one count of possession
of a stolen firearm and one count of
unlawful use of a weapon by a felon.
Gerald is being held without bond as his
case moves to trial. Notably, he has two
prior felony convictions for aggravated
battery against law enforcement, which
prohibited him from owning a firearm.
Reports show he stole the gun from his
sister after an altercation with his
father. She reported the missing gun to
Chicago police 5 days before the
shooting. Gerald faces a minimum of 20
years in prison without probation and a
maximum of life without parole. He will
not face the death penalty as the
incident occurred in Illinois. If you
would like to support Detective Alan
Redden's family, we've linked his
fundraiser in the description below.