On April 27, 1910, Patrolman Patrick Melia, aged 30, was tragically killed in the line of duty while patrolling the Santa Fe Railroad yard at 49th Street and Lawndale Avenue in Chicago. Officer Melia, a two-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department, encountered three thieves—Steve Zacek, Steve Orth, and Joseph Pribela—stealing merchandise from train cars.
During the confrontation, one of the thieves, Steve Zacek, raised a sawed-off, double-barreled shotgun and fired at Officer Melia, striking him with buckshot. Despite being rushed to the hospital, Officer Melia succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
The incident led to a swift investigation, and on May 18, 1910, Steve Zacek was arrested for the murder of Officer Melia. Steve Orth and Joseph Pribela were also arrested and held as accessories to the crime. Zacek, after confessing to the murder and implicating Orth, tragically took his own life by hanging in his cell at the 19th Precinct – Stockyards Station on May 19, 1910. Orth was subsequently tried and sentenced to life imprisonment at the Illinois State Penitentiary in Joliet, while Pribela received a 25-year sentence.
A fourth suspect, Joe Flash, was later sought and arrested, but the case against him was abated after he died in Iowa before being questioned. Officer Melia was laid to rest in St. Joseph New Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio, and his star was retired and enshrined in the Superintendent’s Honored Star Case at City Hall in Chicago.
Officer Melia's death was a somber reminder of the dangers faced by law enforcement officers in the line of duty, and his sacrifice is honored on multiple memorial walls, including the Illinois Police Officers Memorial Wall and the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Wall.
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