Temporary Detective Roy A. Carney Jr. | Star #7603

Temporary Detective Roy A. Carney, Jr., Star #7603, aged 35 years, was a 12 year, 2 month, 0 day veteran of the Chicago Police Department, assigned to the 7th District – Woodlawn.

On April 18, 1958, Detective Carney, while off duty, was at the New Marquette Inn, a tavern at 160 East Marquette Road. He was with his wife, Carrie, who owned the tavern and was with six patrons when two gunmen entered. The two men, Larry Oden and James Davis, drew guns and announced a robbery. Larry Oden ushered Detective Carney and the patrons into a back room and force them to lie down. Once Detective Carney was lying on the floor, Oden moved to search him. As Carney drew his revolver he began to grapple with Oden who called out to James Davis for help. Davis ran into the back room and fired two shots at Carney. One of the bullets struck him in the left temple. The gunmen then fled the tavern in a 1951 black Cadillac which was driven by a third man. Carney was pronounced dead at St. Bernard’s Hospital. One of the suspects was captured hours later.

During the investigation, Detective Carney’s revolver was found unfired laying on the floor alongside his body. A blockade was set up around the area in an effort to trap the bandits and the police task force was sent in. Unbeknownst to Patrolman James Brooks, who was patrolling the area the night of the shooting, he had pulled over the men just after they fled the shooting. The men were traveling the wrong way on a one way stretch of 66th Street at State Street. Patrolman Brooks cautioned the men not to continue and they drove off. Officer Brooks learned of the shooting minutes later but by that time the bandit’s car had disappeared.

On April 25, 1958, Larry Oden was arrested and confessed to the robbery. He told detectives that it was their third tavern holdup of the night. He said the shooting occurred when Detective Carney began to draw his weapon and he had to struggle with him and called Davis for help. That was when Davis came and shot Carney. Oden also confessed to shooting Pronoico Rivera, age 37, during another holdup of a tavern on April 4, 1958. Two other men were arrested as companions of Oden and Davis. Arrested were Joe Adams, age 21 and Noel Taylor, age 23, for a series of south side tavern holdups over the previous eight months. On May 2, 1958, John Davis was arrested in Alexandria, Louisiana. On May 24, 1958, Davis was extradited back to Chicago. On November 21, 1958, Davis and Oden stood a jury trial and were convicted. They were both sentenced to death in the electric chair.

Detective Carney was waked at Metropolitan Funeral Parlors located at 4445 South Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive. He was laid to rest on April 23, 1958 in Burr Oak Cemetery, 4400 West 127th Street, Alsip, Illinois.

Temporary Detective Roy A. Carney, Jr., born November 7, 1922, received a Temporary Appointment to the Chicago Police Department on February 18, 1946 prior to his Probationary Appointment to the Department on October 15, 1947. He earned 1 Credible Mention during his career. On November 16, 1956, Borcia was promoted to Temporary Detective. In 1954 Carney was assigned to the robbery detail in the “little detective bureau“ of the Woodlawn precinct. He assisted in breaking up a gang responsible for some 200 cleaning store robberies in which he earned his Credible Mention.

Detective Carney served in the U.S. Army Air Corps from October 2, 1942 thru 1945, was a veteran of World War II and was Honorably Discharged at the rank of Private. He was survived by his wife, Carrie; two children, parents: Roy (CPD) and brother, Leonard. He was preceded in death by his mother, Fannie Lee (nee Fite). His father was also a Chicago Police Detective of 23 years attached to the Prairie Avenue Station Narcotics Unit at the time of the incident.

On December 30, 1958, Officer Carney’s star was retired by Commissioner Timothy J. O’Connor and enshrined in the Superintendent’s Honored Star Case, located in the 4th floor Office of the Superintendent at Chicago Police Headquarters, 1121 South State Street. The Honored Star Case was later relocated to the lobby of Chicago Police Headquarters, 1121 South State Street. In 2000, Chicago Police Headquarters moved to a new facility at 3510 South Michigan Avenue, Officer Carney’s Star was re-encased in the new headquarters building lobby.

On March 2, 2010, Officer Carney’s star was once again retired by Superintendent Jody P. Weis and enshrined in the Superintendent’s Honored Star Case, located in the lobby at Chicago Police Headquarters, 3510 South Michigan Avenue.