Chicago Police Department Superintendent David Brown confirmed Tuesday that a fellow officer had committed suicide at a CPD facility on the West Side.
Brown reported that Deputy Chief Dion Boyd, a 30-year CPD veteran, committed suicide at the department’s Homan Square facility either late on Monday evening or early on Tuesday morning.
“We are shocked, saddened with the loss, and it’s deeply felt by me and the many colleagues and friends with whom Deputy Chief Dion Boyd worked and mentored throughout his career,” Brown said in a press conference, according to Chicago’s WGN Channel 9.
The Dep. Chief’s body was discovered at around 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, officials said.
Brown said during the conference:
The job of a Chicago police officer is not easy, particularly in a time when there is intensified stress. Life can seem insurmountable at times for anyone, but for police officers, the stakes are even higher due to the tireless work they do to safeguard others.
Boyd, 57, had only recently been sworn in as Dep. Chief before he fatally shot himself.
“There is no shame in reaching out for help,” he added. “Please, officers, please, stay humble, stay human, stay safe, and stay well.”
“Always remember to take care of ourselves and each other,” Brown added.
Boyd, who was previously the Area One commander on the South Side, was said to have been struggling with the death of officer Samuel Jimenez, who lost his life at the hands of a shooter at Bronzeville hospital in 2018.
The toll on Chicago’s officers has been high. Five officers committed suicide in the last half of 2019. And in Feb., officer Patricia L. Walsh, 51, committed suicide at her home in Edgewood. A 2019 study found that the CPD’s suicide rate was about 60% higher than the national average for law enforcement officials.
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