Death Classification: Line of Duty Death
Agency: Chicago Police Department
Served: 1 year, 1 month, 14 days
Unit of Assignment / Detail: 12th District - Kensington
District of Incident (Present Day): 005 - Calumet
Cause of Death: Gunfire - Enemy
Age at Time of Death: 34
Timeline
Date of Birth: 13 Feb 1900
Date of Appointment: 25 Mar 1933
Date of Incident: 09 May 1934
End of Watch: 09 May 1934
Date of Interment: 11 May 1834
Interment Details
Cemetery: Holy Sepulchre Cemetery - Alsip, Illinois
Grave Location: Grave 10, Lot 31, Block 5, Section 3
Interment Disposition: Burial
Memorial Details
Superintendent’s Honored Star Case: Panel # C-5
Gold Star Families Memorial Wall: Panel # 19
Illinois Police Officers Memorial Wall: Panel # 2, Line 37
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Wall: Panel # 62-E: 8
Officer Down Memorial Page: Listed
Service
Military Service: No Military Record Found
Incident & Biographic Details
Patrolman Patrick Joseph Redmond, Star #1583, aged 34 years, was a 1 year, 1 month, 14 day veteran of the Chicago Police Department, assigned to the 12th District – Kensington.
On May 9, 1934, in the late afternoon, Officer Redmond was assigned to guard a payroll exchange which operated out of a tavern, owned by Frank Ghodotti, located at 644 East 113th Street. Ghodotti had withdrawn more than $2000.00 for the purpose of cashing the payroll checks. Approximately 15 employees from the nearby Pullman Company were in the process of cashing their payroll checks in the backroom of the tavern. In addition to the Pullman employees, Mr. Ghodotti and his wife, Albina, owner of the building, Antonio Fraccaro and his son, Emil, and Officer Redmond were all in the back room when four gunman entered and announced a robbery. “This is a stickup, everybody,” was yelled by one man. Two of the offenders were armed with shotguns. As Officer Redmond confronted the gunmen to place them under arrest, one gunman fired. Officer Redmond was struck by the shotgun blast in the left side of his abdomen. He was also struck in the left arm which shattered it. After being hit, Redmond fell to the floor and simultaneously fired his revolver twice, his bullets missing the bandits and going through the tavern windows. The gunmen then fled the scene without taking any proceeds. Emil Fraccaro, grabbed a shotgun which was hanging on the taverns wall and fired at the gunman as they fled the tavern. Despite his efforts to stop the bandits, his shotgun blast missed and the bandits jumped into a car and made good their escape.
Officer Redmond was able to give responding officers a description of the offenders before he was transported to Roseland Community Hospital. Doctors tried their best to save Redmond, giving him blood transfusions. Calls went out citywide to all stations for blood donations. Despite the tremendous response of volunteers, Redmond succumbed to his injuries just three hours after the incident on May 9, 1934.
Three weeks later one of the four bandits was shot and killed while attempting to rob a bank in South Holland, Illinois. His grave is located in Grave 10, Lot 31, Block 5, Section 3.
Officer Redmond was waked at George R. Thompson Funeral Home located at 1008 East 79th Street, his funeral service was held at St. Dorothy Church located at 450 East 78th Street. He was laid to rest on May 11, 1834 in Holy Sepulchre, 6001 West 111th Street, Alsip, Illinois.
Patrolman Patrick Joseph Redmond, born February 13, 1900, received his Probationary Appointment to the Chicago Police Department on March 25, 1933.
Officer Redmond was survived by his wife, Dorothy (nee Adams), age 27; children: Patricia, age 7 and Robert James, age 3; parents: Anna (nee Foley) and John and siblings: Elizabeth and Lambert (CPD).