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Sergeant Derrick Virge honored with Medal of Valor after responding to fatal shooting on Lake Street
Summary
Oak Park celebrated Sgt. Derrick Virge with a Police Medal of Valor from the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police for his actions on Nov. 29, 2024, when he engaged an armed shooter after hearing shots and helped stop further loss of life.
The Village Board recognized Sergeant Derrick Virge July 1 with a Police Medal of Valor awarded by the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police for actions during a deadly incident on Nov. 29, 2024.
Village Manager Joe Jackson opened the presentation and asked Police Chief Shetanya Johnson to introduce Sergeant Virge. Chief Johnson said Virge joined the Oak Park Police Department in 2004 and has served as a school resource officer, community police officer and departmental instructor. “This evening, we gather to join the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police in recognizing the extraordinary courage and selfless acts of Sergeant Verge,” she said.
Chief Pat Kreese, vice president of the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police, described the incident: officers responded Nov. 29, 2024 to a bank in the 1000 block of Lake Street for a man with a gun. When the suspect ignored commands and fired, mortally wounding Detective Allen Reddings, Sergeant Virge left a separate scene and located the shooter after speaking with an eyewitness. Kreese said Virge closed distance through Scoville Park and, recognizing an immediate threat, fired two rounds and struck the shooter from about 40 yards, stopping further attacks.
The suspect was charged with murder and attempted murder, Kreese said. The association presented Sergeant Virge with the Police Medal of Valor during the board meeting. Virge, family and members of Oak Park’s public safety community joined the board for the presentation and photos; the board and presenters acknowledged Detective Reddings’ death and asked attendees to observe a moment of silence in his memory.
Why it matters: the award recognized an on-duty officer whose actions stopped a continuing threat, drew regional attention from the state chiefs’ association, and provided a public moment of recognition and mourning for Detective Reddings. The presentation included members of Oak Park’s police and fire departments as well as retired officers and representatives from the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police.
