Chicago officer gunned down

Chicago officer gunned down
14-year veteran slain; suspect critical
By James Janega, Stacy St. Clair and Angela Rozas Chicago Tribune reporters
September 29, 2008

A solemn police chaplain stood before more than 100 weary Chicago officers gathered late Sunday in the parking lot of the Cook County morgue and asked them to close their eyes and open their hearts and pray.

The body of Nathaniel Taylor, one of their own, was wheeled toward the doors, led by two officers holding candles. Rev. Tom Nangle spoke: "This is one of those moments the public never sees, the politicians never see and that our families, thank God, never see. This moment is where the beating heart and soul of the Chicago Police Department is on view."

What a brutal end to a day when police held vigil at an Oak Lawn hospital, shedding tears for a brother wounded in an early-morning burst of gunfire.

Taylor, 39, was pronounced dead at Advocate Christ Hospital at 6:02 p.m. Sunday, about 12 hours after he was shot while executing a search warrant. He was the second Chicago police officer killed in the line of duty in the last three months.
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