Officer Fred Eckles Jr. was a 41-year-old Chicago Police Department veteran when he was shot during a warrant service on January 17, 1984. He was part of a tactical team serving a search warrant at an apartment at 8051 South Maryland Avenue after a tip about drug activity. The team announced themselves, received no response, and forced entry with a battering ram. Eckles was the second officer to enter; he was struck three times by gunfire from 22-year-old Neil Young, who fired from behind a couch. Eckles returned fire but died a few hours later at South Chicago Hospital.

Three individuals were arrested in the incident; Neil Young was killed in the exchange of gunfire. A fourth person, a female, was found hiding in a closet. The apartment’s owner, an elderly woman, was reported to be hospitalized recovering from a stroke at the time. Eckles was a 10-year department veteran, survived by five children and two grandchildren; his funeral was held at Christ Bible Center and he was buried in Cedar Park Cemetery.