James William Koumoundouros was a 30-year-old Chicago Police patrolman working off duty as a bank guard at The First National Bank of Lincolnwood, 6201 North Lincoln Avenue, on September 7, 1977. During his shift Erasmo Roberto Ramirez, 49, entered the bank armed with a .38 caliber and ordered Koumoundouros to lay his gun on the desk. As Koumoundouros began to comply he activated a silent alarm and drew his weapon. He shot Ramirez in the thigh, but Ramirez returned fire and struck Koumoundouros twice in the head. Koumoundouros was taken to Swedish Covenant Hospital and pronounced dead on arrival.

Ramirez fled without taking money, crashed a 1972 Buick with false plates at 3824 West Devon Avenue and was arrested. He was treated at Swedish Covenant Hospital and later at Cermak Hospital. Ramirez was an escapee from Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary, where he had been serving a 35-year sentence for a San Antonio bank robbery. The murder and attempted armed robbery convictions led to a death sentence that was later commuted to life imprisonment. Koumoundouros’s death was classified as a line-of-duty death and he is listed on state and national law enforcement memorials.

If anyone remembers Officer Koumoundouros, his shift that night, or the events at the Lincolnwood bank, please share what you know.