On May 1, 1902, Detective Patrick Duffy, a 34-year-old white male, was fatally shot in Chicago, Illinois. Detective Duffy, an 11-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department assigned to the 19th Precinct in the Stock Yards district, was en route to the station after his lunch break when he noticed Hugh Reilly standing on the southwest corner of 46th Street and Emerald Avenue, near the entrance of the Tenth Presbyterian Church.
Reilly appeared anxious, frequently glancing toward Halsted Street, as if awaiting someone. Detective Duffy's suspicions were aroused, leading him to approach and engage Reilly in conversation. During their exchange, another man, Vincent Briscoe, alias Britton, approached from behind and positioned himself about ten feet away. As Detective Duffy attempted to arrest Reilly by grabbing his arm, Briscoe suddenly shouted, diverting the detective's attention. Seizing the moment, Reilly drew a revolver and shot Detective Duffy in the right eye, resulting in his immediate death. The assailants fled the scene, heading south on Emerald Avenue and then east toward nearby railroad tracks. The incident was witnessed by several individuals, including Alice Fitzgerald, a schoolteacher and daughter of former Fire Marshal John Fitzgerald, as well as Barbara Schmidt and 10-year-old Ray Kenney.
Following the murder, Hugh Reilly was apprehended and held by the coroner. On September 20, 1902, he was sentenced to 14 years in the Illinois State Penitentiary at Joliet by Judge Neeley. Reilly maintained that he was not the shooter. In 1909, authorities discovered that the actual killer was incarcerated in San Quentin Prison in California. After serving a sentence for forgery, this individual was released and returned to Chicago, where he was convicted of Detective Duffy's murder and sentenced to prison.
Detective Duffy was survived by his wife, Anne, and their five children. His brother, a retired captain of the Chicago Police Department, also mourned his loss. Detective Duffy was laid to rest on May 4, 1902, in Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery in Chicago.
