Patrolman Richard Wayne Clark was 48 when he was shot and killed in the line of duty on April 3, 1986. A Chicago Police Department veteran of more than 17 years, Clark responded to a report of a man with a gun at 1427 West Lill Avenue after the suspect, 57-year-old John Pasch Jr., had just murdered his landlord, Leslie Shearer, in the building gangway. Shearer’s sister, Mary Wagner, witnessed the killing and screamed; Pasch then barricaded himself inside and took a woman identified as Ms. Wiwatowski hostage.

Officer Clark was the first to arrive and, while taking cover behind a parked car and advancing on the building, was struck in the right side of his face by a shotgun blast fired from a first-floor window. Backup engaged Pasch in a gunfight, and Clark was evacuated to Illinois Masonic Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 4:37 p.m. that day. Pasch made multiple 911 calls during the standoff, threatened officers and the hostage, and claimed to have armor-piercing rounds and explosive devices rigged to the doors. Pasch was ultimately apprehended.

Does anyone have memories of Officer Clark or information about the scene at West Lill Avenue that could shed more light on what happened?