First Responders

Retired Chicago Firefighter Killed in Attempted Carjacking

December 7, 2020Joshua Skovlund
Chicago firefighter Dwain Williams

Chicago firefighter Dwain Williams

Chicago Police Department Chief of Operations Brian McDermott announced the shooting death of 65-year-old retired firefighter Lt. Dwain Williams on Thursday, in what appears to be an attempted carjacking.


“He was the rock in our family. Now he’s gone,” Karen Williams, Dwain Williams’ wife, told ABC 7 News. “We need him. We needed him. We depended on him. And this is a really great loss, not only to my family, but to all the citizens in Chicago.”


chicago police
Chicago Police Department Chief of Operations Brian McDermott during the press conference. Screenshot from YouTube.

On Thursday at approximately 2 p.m. local time, Williams left a popcorn store and was confronted by four unidentified individuals in a dark four-door sedan. McDermott said that multiple people exited the sedan and confronted Williams, and shortly after, one of them shot him in the abdomen. 


McDermott said that Williams was able to draw his firearm and shoot back, but it is unknown whether his assailant or any others involved were shot. The shooter and other occupants of the sedan fled west on W. 118th Street. Williams was transported to the Advocate Christ Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 2:45 p.m. local time. 


Chicago’s 19th Ward Alderman Matthew O’Shea said Williams was a firefighter with the Chicago Fire Department for 25 years and he retired two years ago; his last assignment was with Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications. O’Shea described Williams as a “hero” during the press conference. 


chicago firefighter Dwain Williams
The ambulance that transported Dwain Williams to the medical examiner. Chicago police officers and firefighters lined the road, saluting as the ambulance passed by. Screenshot from YouTube.

Chicago firefighter Kevin Betton told ABC 7 News, “To give yourself, to give so much of yourself for so long for people you don’t know and for this to be the end result, it sucks, it’s sad.”


Violent crime in Chicago has been on the rise this year. Chicago’s crime statistics tracker, called CompStat, has 715 murders recorded from Jan. 1 to Nov. 29, 2020, versus 462 murders recorded over the same time period in 2019, which is a 55% increase.


CompStat recorded 6,185 instances of aggravated battery for the same time frame in 2020 versus 5,796 instances in 2019, a 7% increase. There were 9,002 instances of motor vehicle theft recorded in 2020 versus 2019’s 8,172, a 10% increase.  



Joshua Skovlund
Joshua Skovlund

Joshua Skovlund is a former staff writer for Coffee or Die. He has covered the 75th anniversary of D-Day in France, multinational military exercises in Germany, and civil unrest during the 2020 riots in Minneapolis. Born and raised in small-town South Dakota, he grew up playing football and soccer before serving as a forward observer in the US Army. After leaving the service, he worked as a personal trainer while earning his paramedic license. After five years as in paramedicine, he transitioned to a career in multimedia journalism. Joshua is married with two children. His creative outlets include Skovlund Photography and Concentrated Emotion.

More from Coffee or Die Magazine
Intel
‘On Tour In Hell’: Wounded Ukrainian Soldiers Evacuated

With bandaged heads and splinted limbs, the wounded soldiers are stretchered into the waiting medica...

March 27, 2023Associated Press
F-15 Strike Eagles
Military
US Launches Airstrikes in Syria After Drone Kills US Worker

While it’s not the first time the U.S. and Iran have traded airstrikes in Syria, the attack and the ...

March 24, 2023Associated Press
The Gift jason dunham
Entertainment
‘The Gift’ Explores the Life and Legacy of Medal of Honor Recipient Jason Dunham

"The Gift" tells the story of the first Marine to receive the Medal of Honor after the Vietnam War. ...

March 24, 2023Mac Caltrider
uss milius
Intel
US Denies Chinese Claim It Drove Away American Destroyer

The U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet said that a statement from China's Southern Theatre Command that it had fo...

March 23, 2023Associated Press
ultramarathon
Military
The Speed Project: Vet Team To Run in Lawless, Invite-Only Ultramarathon

For the first time, a team of (mostly) US veterans and active-duty service members will run in The S...

March 23, 2023Jenna Biter
uranium-based ammo ammunition Ukraine UK depleted uranium
Intel
A Look At the Uranium-Based Ammo the UK Will Send to Ukraine

The British defense ministry on Monday confirmed it would provide Ukraine with armor-piercing rounds containing depleted uranium.

March 23, 2023Associated Press
Zaporizhzhia Ukraine Russia
Intel
Ukraine: Russia Hits Apartments and Dorm, Killing Civilians

“Russia is shelling the city with bestial savagery,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote in a Telegr...

March 22, 2023Associated Press
cold brew coffee soda float
Coffee
The Bitter Barista's Cold Brew Coffee Soda Float

Today, we combine the best of both worlds with this indulgent recipe, smashing together our love of coffee and ice cream with a cold brew coffee soda float!

March 21, 2023Heather Lynn
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Careers
Contact Us
  • Request a Correction
  • Write for Us
  • General Inquiries
© 2023 Coffee or Die Magazine. All Rights Reserved