Full Text of HJR0086 102nd General Assembly
HJ0086 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, It is important and appropriate to honor and | 3 | | remember the men and women of the Illinois State Police | 4 | | Trooper Patrol for their contributions to improving public | 5 | | safety; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Trooper James Grady Sutton and Chief Daniel Law | 7 | | of the Harrisburg Police Department were shot and killed | 8 | | during an arrest; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, As Trooper Sutton and Chief Law were escorting | 10 | | three suspects in a stolen car to jail, the violators drew | 11 | | weapons and opened fire on the officers; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, The officers stopped the vehicle at Poplar and | 13 | | Vine Streets, directing the driver to City Hall for further | 14 | | questioning; Trooper Sutton stood on the left running board | 15 | | and Chief Law on the right running board of the vehicle; as the | 16 | | vehicle approached City Hall, the driver accelerated, and the | 17 | | men in the car drew weapons, killing both officers; and | 18 | | WHEREAS, Trooper Sutton was struck in the chest and fell | 19 | | to the street near City Hall; before being shot in the head and | 20 | | body, Chief Law was able to cling to the vehicle for four | 21 | | blocks, exchanging gunfire with the suspects and killing one |
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| 1 | | of them until he finally dropped from the vehicle; and | 2 | | WHEREAS, Trooper Sutton died from his wounds following | 3 | | emergency surgery shortly after midnight; the suspect killed | 4 | | by Chief Law was found in the abandoned vehicle ten miles north | 5 | | of Harrisburg; the other two fugitives were later captured in | 6 | | the state of Virginia and returned to Illinois for trial, | 7 | | where they both received life sentences; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Trooper Sutton and Chief Law were buried in | 9 | | adjoining plots in Sunset Lawn Cemetery in Harrisburg; Trooper | 10 | | Sutton was a three-year veteran of the Illinois State Police | 11 | | and was survived by his wife; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, The service and sacrifice of Trooper Sutton and | 13 | | Chief Law to the people of Illinois should never be forgotten; | 14 | | therefore, be it
| 15 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 16 | | HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | 17 | | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate Illinois Route 34 | 18 | | within the city limits of Harrisburg as the "Trooper Sutton | 19 | | and Chief Law Memorial Highway"; and be it further | 20 | | RESOLVED, That the Illinois Department of Transportation | 21 | | is requested to erect at suitable locations, consistent with |
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| 1 | | State and federal regulations, appropriate plaques or signs
| 2 | | giving notice of the name of "Trooper Sutton and Chief Law | 3 | | Memorial Highway"; and be it further
| 4 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 5 | | presented to the surviving members of the families of Trooper | 6 | | Sutton and Chief Law, the Illinois State Police, the | 7 | | Harrisburg Police Department, and the Secretary of the | 8 | | Department of Transportation.
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