A memorial outside Springfield Police Headquarters now bears the name of officer, Christopher Walsh. The SPD officer was killed March 16, 2020 in an early morning shooting at a convenience store on E. Chestnut Expressway.
On the one year anniversary of the shooting, which also killed three citizens and wounded two others, the police department held a ceremony to honor Walsh’s memory and sacrifice.
"On 3/16/20, the Springfield community, the Springfield Police Department and the Walsh family suffered a loss that has created a hole in our hearts that cannot be filled," said Springfield police chief, Paul Williams, who went on to recount the day that Walsh was killed.
The officer was responding to an active shooter call at Kum and Go. Troy Rapp, Shannon Perkins and Matthew Hick-Morris were also killed.
Walsh’s wife, Sheri Walsh, said Tuesday her husband was a modest man who never wanted accolades and might have been a little frustrated that his name was on a monument.
"But it brings me and my family so much joy to see everyone here today to remember him as we saw him," she said.
The memorial monument was donated by the Springfield Police Officers Association in 1995. It includes the names of 10 other Springfield officers who have been killed in the line of duty.
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