State Trooper Dies After Being Shot: Illinois State Police

ILLINOIS — An Illinois State Trooper shot while serving a search warrant in East St. Louis has died, police said Friday evening. Trooper Nicholas Hopkins, 33, succumbed to his injuries just after 6 p.m., nearly 12 hours after he was shot.

State police said Hopkins was serving a warrant in the 1400 block of North 42nd Street at 5:26 a.m. when he was shot during an exchange of gunfire and taken to a regional hospital.

Illinois State Police Acting Director Brendan Kelly said Hopkins, a 10-year veteran of the organization, leaves behind a wife, three children, three sisters and two brothers, one of whom is also a police officer in Illinois.

"He is another great hero of Illinois that has paid the ultimate price while protecting and serving the citizens of this state," Kelly said. Kelly said Hopkins' death is the second line of duty death for the Illinois State Police SWAT unit in the last two decades.

"In our 100-year history, never have we lost three troopers in one year like we have this year," Kelly said, referring to the deaths of three other troopers — Gerald Wayne Ellis and Brooke Jones-Story in March and Trooper Christopher Lambert in January, who all died as the result of vehicle crashes. Hopkins is the fourth trooper killed this year. A total of six Illinois law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty in 2019.

Kelly urged citizens to see the light in the darkness of so much loss.

"Even now, (Hopkins) continues to help others" by donating his organs, Kelly said, adding that Hopkins would want everyone to know he was "healthy as a horse" and could save up to 40 people through organ donation.

"Even in this moment of darkness, his light is shining," Kelly said. " ... I ask everyone to hold the men and women of the Illinois State Police in their hearts. These are some of the toughest, bravest, kindest people on earth. But they are people. And they are hurting. Please continue to pray for them, care for them and respect them. But whether you do or not, know this: the men and women of the Illinois State Police will not give up on any community. The men and women of the Illinois State Police will never surrender to the violence tearing at the fabric of our people. The men and women of the Illinois State Police will always serve with integrity and pride. The men and women of the Illinois State Police will always fight like hell to pursue justice with all our might, and in the darkness, be the light."

Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement that all of Illinois was mourning Hopkins' death Friday.

"It is the most courageous among us who choose a life of risk so their communities can go about their lives in peace," Pritzker said. "The state of Illinois stands with Trooper Hopkins' family and the entire Illinois State Police family as they grieve the loss of another heroic officer."

Kelly said three people were arrested after the shooting, which remains under investigation. He declined to share the specifics of the exchange of gunfire at the scene, saying that will be at the heart of the criminal case filed against the shooter or shooters.

Kelly said Hopkins was "very good at SWAT and he had an excellent reputation and the position he was in was one of the people that go in first, and he was well-liked, he was well-respected, loved by his fellow troopers, loved by the men and women that served with him."

Hopkins' death was the second time this month that a trooper has been shot while executing a search warrant. On Aug. 15, a 32-year-old trooper was hurt while serving a warrant at a home in Wheeling. The trooper was wounded and the man accused of firing the shots from inside his home faces multiple felonies, including attempted murder.

This is a developing story. Check back with Patch for updates.