Police Officer Gerald Leo Wright

Gerald Leo Wright

Police Officer Gerald L. Wright was shot and killed on his way home from his shift.

At about 11:30 p.m., at 934 West 79th Street, Officer Wright stopped into a store to visit the owners. When he went out to talk to a man standing outside the store, shots rang out from across the street in front of 942 W. 79th Street.

Two gang members, including one 16-year-old, opened fire in retaliation for a previous shooting in the area.

Officer Wright was shot in the back. He was transported to Christ Hospital and Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he died during surgery at 3:18 a.m. Saturday morning.

The subject was convicted of first-degree murder and was sentenced to 100 years. Another accomplice was sentenced to 55 years.

Officer Wright was a United States Army veteran and had served with the Chicago Police Department for 20 years. He is survived by his son and two daughters. His father had retired from the Chicago Police Department, and Officer Wright wore his badge number.