A recently promoted Chicago deputy police chief was found dead with a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound at a law enforcement facility Tuesday morning, police said.
The body of Dion Boyd, who recently became deputy chief of criminal networks, was discovered around 9 a.m. Boyd had been with the Chicago Police Department for over 30 years, police told NBC 5, had been promoted to his position only two weeks prior to his suspected suicide, Fox News reported.
“I was heartbroken upon hearing the news of Deputy Chief Dion Boyd’s passing,” Chicago police superintendent David Brown said in a statement provided to the Daily Caller News Foundation. “He was a passionate and dedicated 30-year veteran whom I had the pleasure of knowing in my first months as Superintendent here in Chicago.”
“I mourn alongside the men and women in uniform. His loss is deeply felt by myself and his many colleagues on the force with whom he worked and mentored over his long career,” Brown continued.
A procession took place by fellow officers in the 57-year-old’s honor, according to a Tweet from a CBS Chicago reporter.
Chicago Police Supt. Brown confirms officer who died is Deputy Chief Dion Boyd.
Says he died by suicide.
Boyd had been promoted less than two weeks ago to Deputy Chief of Criminal Networks. @cbschicago pic.twitter.com/IZ3xbZtmJm
— Megan Hickey (@MeganHickeyTV) July 28, 2020
Boyd is reportedly the highest ranking member of Chicago PD to take his own life in recent memory, law enforcement leaders told the Chicago Tribune. (RELATED: Here’s A Closer Look At David Dorn, Retired Police Captain Killed Defending A Store From Looting In St Louis)
Democratic Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot expressed her condolences for Boyd on Twitter following news of his death.
We are truly at a loss of words by the death of Deputy Chief of Criminal Networks Dion Boyd, who passed away last night.
— Mayor Lori Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) July 28, 2020
Lightfoot also sent a message to Chicago police officers in a subsequent tweet that said, “we want you to know that you are deserving of help and healing, and no one needs to struggle alone.”
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