04-23-2011, 02:02 PM
Oregon
The Register-Guard
SPRINGFIELD — Eugene police officer Chris Kilcullen — a 12-year veteran of the city police force and a father of two — was fatally shot Friday afternoon while pursuing a car that had sped away from his motorcycle during an attempted traffic stop on Interstate 105, police said.
Authorities arrested the woman who allegedly killed Kilcullen following a standoff with a police SWAT team that cornered her east of Lowell. That was after she allegedly led officers on a 20-mile chase to the rural area after fleeing the scene of the shooting, which occurred about 4:30 p.m. along the Highway 126 Expressway in Springfield’s Thurston area.
The suspected shooter is identified as Cheryl D. Kidd, 56, of Springfield. Kidd was being interviewed late Friday night by detectives and will be lodged in the Lane County Jail on a murder charge, Springfield Police Chief Jerry Smith said.
It remains unclear what led Kidd to allegedly pull out a handgun and shoot the officer.
“We still have to see what’s going on with her,” Smith said, adding that investigators will speak with the woman’s friends and family.
Kilcullen, 43, is the first Eugene police officer to die in the line of duty since 1934.
During a brief but somber news conference held less than six hours after the shooting, Eugene Police Chief Pete Kerns spoke of Kilcullen’s “honorable career” with the department and recalled the officer as a “very popular guy” who was “relentlessly positive and upbeat.”
Flanked by a group of police supervisors — three of whom had affixed black bands to their badges in a display of mourning — Kerns said he was pleased to hear that Kilcullen’s alleged killer had been taken into custody uninjured, although he expressed bitterness about the incident.
“I am personally angered by this — that someone would kill one of our officers,” Kerns said.
The incident that ultimately led to Kilcullen’s death and Kidd’s arrest began when the officer — working on his motorcycle as a member of the police department’s traffic enforcement team — tried to stop an eastbound 1998 Buick Skylark on Interstate 105, police said.
Instead of pulling over for Kilcullen, the Buick’s driver sped into Springfield on the interstate, which becomes the Highway 126 Expressway east of Interstate 5. Police radio traffic indicated that the driver reached 80 mph during the pursuit, before approaching the highway’s intersection with 52nd Street in Springfield’s Thurston area.
A number of vehicles were stopped at a red light at the intersection. Smith said the Buick slowed and swerved around to the right of those vehicles, while Kilcullen pulled up beside the car and lowered his motorcycle’s kickstand.
“We have some indications that he was trying to point for (Kidd) to pull over, and she fired at least one round from a handgun” striking Kilcullen, Smith said.
Kilcullen fell against the rear tire of a tractor-trailer rig that had stopped at the intersection, Smith said.
Kilcullen did not return fire, Eugene police Sgt. Sam Kamkar said.
Kilcullen was taken by ambulance to Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in Springfield, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
While police and medics raced to the scene of the shooting, the Buick continued along the highway, with Springfield police giving chase. Kidd allegedly disregarded officers and drove south to Jasper-Lowell Road before heading east toward Lowell. She continued on North Shore Drive, then turned onto a U.S. Forest Service road where she reached a dead end, police said.
At least one officer immediately began negotiating with Kidd, while others set up a perimeter around the Buick, Smith said.
Police were able to talk the woman out of the car and take her into custody about 7:30 p.m., Smith said.
Rest In Peace Officer Kilcullen
![[Image: 110422officer_killed405.jpg]](http://media.komonews.com/images/110422officer_killed405.jpg)
![[Image: chriskilcullenjpg-ed16b57e4d8fccf6.jpg]](http://media.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/photo/chriskilcullenjpg-ed16b57e4d8fccf6.jpg)
![[Image: 1803520.jpg?1303592360]](http://imgsrv.kxl.com/image/DbGraphic/201104/1803520.jpg?1303592360)
The Register-Guard
SPRINGFIELD — Eugene police officer Chris Kilcullen — a 12-year veteran of the city police force and a father of two — was fatally shot Friday afternoon while pursuing a car that had sped away from his motorcycle during an attempted traffic stop on Interstate 105, police said.
Authorities arrested the woman who allegedly killed Kilcullen following a standoff with a police SWAT team that cornered her east of Lowell. That was after she allegedly led officers on a 20-mile chase to the rural area after fleeing the scene of the shooting, which occurred about 4:30 p.m. along the Highway 126 Expressway in Springfield’s Thurston area.
The suspected shooter is identified as Cheryl D. Kidd, 56, of Springfield. Kidd was being interviewed late Friday night by detectives and will be lodged in the Lane County Jail on a murder charge, Springfield Police Chief Jerry Smith said.
It remains unclear what led Kidd to allegedly pull out a handgun and shoot the officer.
“We still have to see what’s going on with her,” Smith said, adding that investigators will speak with the woman’s friends and family.
Kilcullen, 43, is the first Eugene police officer to die in the line of duty since 1934.
During a brief but somber news conference held less than six hours after the shooting, Eugene Police Chief Pete Kerns spoke of Kilcullen’s “honorable career” with the department and recalled the officer as a “very popular guy” who was “relentlessly positive and upbeat.”
Flanked by a group of police supervisors — three of whom had affixed black bands to their badges in a display of mourning — Kerns said he was pleased to hear that Kilcullen’s alleged killer had been taken into custody uninjured, although he expressed bitterness about the incident.
“I am personally angered by this — that someone would kill one of our officers,” Kerns said.
The incident that ultimately led to Kilcullen’s death and Kidd’s arrest began when the officer — working on his motorcycle as a member of the police department’s traffic enforcement team — tried to stop an eastbound 1998 Buick Skylark on Interstate 105, police said.
Instead of pulling over for Kilcullen, the Buick’s driver sped into Springfield on the interstate, which becomes the Highway 126 Expressway east of Interstate 5. Police radio traffic indicated that the driver reached 80 mph during the pursuit, before approaching the highway’s intersection with 52nd Street in Springfield’s Thurston area.
A number of vehicles were stopped at a red light at the intersection. Smith said the Buick slowed and swerved around to the right of those vehicles, while Kilcullen pulled up beside the car and lowered his motorcycle’s kickstand.
“We have some indications that he was trying to point for (Kidd) to pull over, and she fired at least one round from a handgun” striking Kilcullen, Smith said.
Kilcullen fell against the rear tire of a tractor-trailer rig that had stopped at the intersection, Smith said.
Kilcullen did not return fire, Eugene police Sgt. Sam Kamkar said.
Kilcullen was taken by ambulance to Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in Springfield, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
While police and medics raced to the scene of the shooting, the Buick continued along the highway, with Springfield police giving chase. Kidd allegedly disregarded officers and drove south to Jasper-Lowell Road before heading east toward Lowell. She continued on North Shore Drive, then turned onto a U.S. Forest Service road where she reached a dead end, police said.
At least one officer immediately began negotiating with Kidd, while others set up a perimeter around the Buick, Smith said.
Police were able to talk the woman out of the car and take her into custody about 7:30 p.m., Smith said.
Rest In Peace Officer Kilcullen