Brandon Krueger, a 36-year-old white male, died on July 8, 2018, in Chicago, IL. He was a Chicago Police Officer and a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. On the evening of his death, Krueger shot himself in the head with his service weapon while parked in his patrol vehicle in the parking lot of the Chicago Police Department's Area South/5th District station.
His death was ruled a suicide by the Cook County medical examiner's office.
Krueger's death came nearly a year after he was involved in a controversial shooting incident in Hazel Crest, a suburb of Chicago. On August 29, 2017, Krueger shot and killed 17-year-old Aaron Brandon and wounded his brother, Dakuarie Brandon, now 22. The Hazel Crest Police Department initially stated that the brothers had set up Krueger to rob him, and that Krueger fired in self-defense. However, the mother of the Brandon brothers later filed a lawsuit against Krueger's estate, the village of Hazel Crest, several police officers, and the city of Chicago, alleging that the shooting was unwarranted and that there was a cover-up by the police.
The lawsuit raised questions about Krueger's mental health and whether he should have been allowed to carry a gun. Documents from his divorce case indicated that Krueger had spent time on medical leave with the Chicago Police Department. His mother, Diane Milani, mentioned that the shooting incident in Hazel Crest had brought back bad memories from his time in the Middle East, and that he seemed despondent over what had happened.
Krueger's death highlighted the issue of mental health and suicide within the Chicago Police Department. The department's spokesman, Anthony Guglielmi, acknowledged that the CPD had one of the highest rates of suicide among police departments and emphasized the importance of raising awareness about suicide prevention.
