Roger W. Van Schaik, a 31-year-old white male, was a dedicated patrolman with the Chicago Police Department. On March 3, 1979, he and his partner, Patrolman William Bosak, were tragically killed in an ambush attack while on duty. The incident occurred near the intersection of 115th Street and May Street in Chicago, Illinois. The officers had just completed a traffic stop and were returning to their squad car when a motorist, Kenneth Allen, approached them from the opposite direction and opened fire with an M-1 rifle without warning. This brutal attack resulted in the deaths of both officers.
Kenneth Allen, the assailant, was apprehended shortly after the incident. He was convicted of the murders of Roger W. Van Schaik and William Bosak and was initially sentenced to death. However, in a significant turn of events, outgoing Illinois Governor George Ryan commuted the death sentences of all 167 death-row inmates in the state, including Allen, on January 10, 2003. As a result, Allen's sentence was commuted to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
The investigation into the murders revealed that Allen had a history of confrontations with the police. On December 13, 1978, just a few months before the ambush, Allen had been arrested, and his weapons were seized through a search warrant. This incident left him seething with resentment towards the police. On the day of the murders, Allen had inquired at a locksmith and glazier shop about the bulletproof nature of police car windows, indicating his premeditated intent to attack the officers.
The tragic deaths of Roger W. Van Schaik and William Bosak left a profound impact on their families and the Chicago Police Department. Van Schaik, who had served with the department for over nine years, was survived by his wife, two daughters, a son, and a brother. The loss of these officers is remembered as a somber reminder of the dangers faced by law enforcement personnel in the line of duty.
