Family Plans Park In Memory Of Fallen Trooper, Police Org's Cubs Rooftop Event Will Raise Funds

CHICAGO — The brother of a fallen Illinois State trooper is spearheading an effort to create a park in his memory, and a trooper-run foundation is backing him up.

Trooper Clay Carns, 35, died in December 2024, after being struck by a vehicle while clearing debris from I-55. Carns was an Orland Park resident, beloved husband and doting father of two.

Clay's brother Chad is leading the way to create a memorial park to honor Clay's life and service, to be built in their hometown of Pinckneyville, Illinois. Still in the works, the park is envisioned to include a sculpture of Carns, posed in uniform.

The Got Your 6 Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit run by an Illinois State Police trooper in support of officers and families within the agency, is focused on fundraising to support the project. An upcoming Cubs Rooftop fundraiser is anticipated to be one of many events to come.

"This is an extremely personal endeavor for all involved," said the foundation's founder Rob Pagliaro, "and I can’t wait for the day when you can visit him there."

The project, he said, means so much to Chad Carns and the rest of the family.

"It’s his everything," Pagliaro said.

Trooper Carns was hit just before 10 p.m. on Dec. 23, 2024. After spotting debris in a lane on southbound I-55 just north of Blodgett Road near Channahon, he had turned on his emergency lights, pulling over to the right shoulder. He got out of his vehicle and was standing in the lane grabbing the debris when he was struck by a Chevrolet Silverado driven by John Fleet, 69, of Wilmington, police have said. Fleet was charged with a violation of Scott’s Law, or the "move over" law, a class 4 felony.

Trooper Carns served 11 years as an ISP officer. He was assigned to Troop 3. He was survived by his wife Meghan, children Gray and Ally, parents Patti and Danny Carns, and siblings Chad, Erica (Carns) Raciack and Elyssa Carns. Meghan Carns has since filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Fleet, accusing him of several counts of negligence including failure to exercise reasonable care in the ownership, operation, management, maintenance and control of his vehicle.

Coworkers remember Carns as a "selfless and an effortlessly friendly person.

"If he could help, he would," a colleague previously told Patch. "If he couldn't, he would find someone who could."

It seems fitting, then, that those who loved him would support his family's efforts to memorialize him. The park—the exact location of which is yet to be determined—will be maintained by the Got Your 6 Foundation, Pagliaro said. Knight Hawk Coal—where Clay's father Dan worked for years—has also contributed a sizable donation to the project, Pagliaro said.

"I wanted a way that we could remember Clay forever," Chad Carns said. "I don’t want anybody to ever forget him."

The park will include a statue of Carns, in uniform and in a relaxed pose, Chad said. The statue is based on an image of Carns attending the funeral of Gerald Ellis, a trooper killed in a vehicle collision in 2019, Chad said.

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The statue is half-way funded, Chad said, and he's working to secure the lot upon which it will be erected. He envisions the display will ultimately include a flagpole and a plaque that details his brother's life and service to the state.

"I think it’ll make his name live on forever," Chad said. "It'll make everyone stop and think what these people are sacrificing every day—the risks they take to make this world a better place. The way they put their lives in danger. They’re modern-day heroes."

A Cubs Rooftop fundraiser is set for Sunday, Sept. 7, as the Chicago Cubs take on the Washington Nationals. It takes place at Wrigley Rooftops, 3609 Sheffield, Chicago. A $135 purchase covers entry and pregame entry, with food and beverage included (a set menu). Doors open at 12:20 p.m. for the 1:20 p.m. game. Children 2 and under do not need a ticket.

Tickets are still available and can be purchased online.

Chad said the support shown his family after Clay's death has been "unreal." Organizations like Got Your 6, as well as 100 Club of Illinois and Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.), that latter which aids in rebuilding the lives of surviving family members and co-workers affected by a line-of-duty death.

100 Club and COPS have been there since the time of Clay's death, he said.

"They’ve been there for the family," he said. "From the moment this all happened, they were there. THE moment, they were there. All of 'em. And they haven’t left yet."

Chad hopes to secure a lot for the statue either by purchase or donation, but the statue will be completed, either way.

"The sculpture is being built, no matter what," he said. "It's happening.

"It’s just really important to me, for people to not forget Clay. I just want his legacy to live on forever."

Got Your 6's Inaugural Cubs Rooftop Fundraiser is set for Sunday, Sept. 7, as the Chicago Cubs take on the Washington Nationals. Proceeds will help fund a park in memory of Trooper Clay Carns.

Event takes place at Wrigley Rooftops, 3609 Sheffield, Chicago. A $135 purchase covers entry and pregame entry, with food/beverage included (a set menu). Doors open at 12:20 p.m. for the 1:20 p.m. game. Children 2 and under do not need a ticket.

Tickets are still available and can be purchased online.