Suspect in slaying of Oak Park detective was ‘behaving strangely’ before shooting, prosecutors say

A North Lawndale man was in a close-range standoff with two police officers when he opened fire, fatally striking one of them, last week outside the public library in downtown Oak Park, Cook County prosecutors said in court Thursday.

Police had responded to the area around 9:30 a.m. Nov. 29 after Jerell Thomas was “behaving strangely” as he stood around inside the Chase Bank at 1048 Lake St. for at least 15 minutes, prosecutors said. When a bank manager approached him, Thomas left the bank but was seen pulling a handgun from his waistband as he walked out, prompting the manager to alert law enforcement.

Detective Allan Reddins, who was working patrol that day because of staffing shortages at the department, and a police sergeant spotted Thomas walking down Lake Street alongside the library, 834 Lake St., which was closed at the time, prosecutors said.

Thomas was standing near the library’s main entrance when both officers walked up to him. Thomas then reached into his unzipped jacket, at which point he was standing “several yards away” from the officers, prosecutors said.

All three of them backed away from each other when Thomas pulled out a gun and fired shots, causing Reddins to run toward his squad car that was parked in the middle of Lake Street, but he was struck in his right side before he could take cover, according to prosecutors. The other officer was not shot.

Police body-worn camera captured the sound of three gunshots, then a brief pause followed by another three shots, prosecutors said.

Reddins fell to the ground near his squad car and tried to call for help on his police radio, but he was unable to use it, prosecutors said. Another officer responded about 15 seconds later and found Reddins unresponsive.

The bullet that struck Reddins lacerated his liver, punctured part of his lung, struck his aorta and became lodged in his sternum, according to prosecutors. Reddins, 40, was pronounced dead at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood.

After Thomas’ initial round of shots, he retreated north along the library, using the building’s pillars for cover from officers who returned fire. Thomas was shot in the leg and also taken to Loyola where he was treated for a non-life-threatening wound, officials said.

Reddins, from Chicago, was a five-year veteran of the Oak Park Police Department and became detective two years ago. He also was a former Metra police officer.

“The work he did was so impactful,” Oak Park Police Chief Shatonya Johnson said in a news conference after the shooting. “...He was just a natural leader; he’d always take the extra step,” Johnson said. “He was a committed officer who became a detective.

The .40 caliber pistol that Thomas used in the shooting had been reported stolen two days earlier by his sister. Thomas had been fighting with his father when he went to his sister’s bedroom, unlocked a safe and took the loaded gun and left the home around midnight Nov. 26, according to prosecutors.

Thomas, 37, is charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder of a peace officer, possession of a stolen firearm and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Prosecutors noted that Thomas does not have a valid Firearm Owner’s Identification Card or a concealed carry license. He also was convicted on separate aggravated battery to a peace officer charges stemming from incidents in 2015 and 2019.

A judge ordered Thomas detained while he awaits trial. His next court date is Dec. 20.