Curtis R. Baker, 45, was a Chicago Police Department officer who was shot and killed during an armed robbery on June 2, 1984. The attack took place about 1:30 a.m. in the fourth-floor stairwell of the Robert Taylor Homes at 4500 South State Street. Officer Baker was off duty, in plainclothes, and escorting a tenant into the building when three men followed them. One of the men announced a robbery; as Baker moved to draw his service revolver, he was shot in the left side of the chest. He was pronounced dead at 2:00 a.m. at Michael Reese Hospital after a bullet perforated his heart and liver.

Authorities identified three suspects from the Robert Taylor Homes as Bernard Lash, 19, David Govan, 24, and Eugene Jackson, 19. The suspects were charged with murder and conspiracy to commit armed robbery and were held without bond after arrest. Officer Baker had served 16 years with the Chicago Police Department, was assigned to the Mass Transit Unit, and had served in the Armed Forces from 1961 to 1963. He was survived by his wife, son, and daughter and was buried at Lincoln Cemetery following services at Emmanuel Baptist Church.

Are there witnesses or neighbors who remember that night or the three suspects coming and going from the Robert Taylor Homes?