Patrolman Joseph P. Hastings

Joseph P. Hastings

Patrolman Joseph Hastings was shot and killed as he interrupted an armed robbery in progress on Navy Pier.

He was conducting routine checks on various businesses on his beat when he came upon several gunmen, including one juvenile, committing an armed robbery at a welfare office. The office was being used to issue welfare payments to citizens affected by the Great Depression. The offenders opened fire, fatally wounding Patrolman Hastings in the encounter.

The man who shot him was convicted of murder and subsequently executed in the electric chair on October 13th, 1933.

Patrolman Hastings had served with the Chicago Police Department for over two years. He was survived by his wife, five sisters, and a brother.