Billy Paul Osborn was a 28-year-old patrolman with the Bloomington Police Department who was shot and killed on February 10, 1986, in Bloomington, Illinois. According to reports, he had been a department member for three years. Around 2:00 am he entered the jail cells at the station; as he passed a cell an inmate reached through the bars, grabbed Osborn’s weapon from its holster and during a struggle the firearm discharged, striking Osborn in the neck. He died despite immediate medical attention.

The inmate who grabbed the gun was later apprehended, tried, and found guilty but mentally ill; the court sentenced that person to 40 years in prison. The department and community held memorials, including a wreath placed at City Hall, and his family, including his wife and children, survived him.

Are there readers who remember Patrolman Osborn or the Bloomington station in 1986 and can share details about that night or the aftermath?