On March 21, 1984, the community of Gary, Indiana, was shaken by the violent death of 51-year-old Charles Edward McKinney. A dedicated public servant, McKinney was arriving for work early that Wednesday morning at the Alain L. Locke Elementary School, located at 3757 West 21st Avenue. He served the area as a plainclothes security officer for the Gary school system, a role he had held for approximately ten years, and had also been deputized by the Lake County Sheriff's Department as a Special
Deputy Sheriff.
At approximately 6:05 a.m., as McKinney prepared to start his day at the school, he was approached by two unidentified men outside the building. The encounter quickly turned into an attempted robbery. During the confrontation, the assailants produced a handgun and fired, striking McKinney in the head. Following the fatal shooting, the perpetrators stole his service weapon and wallet before fleeing the scene.
Despite the severity of the crime and the fact that it occurred at a public institution, the individuals responsible managed to escape immediate capture. Reports indicate that the suspects fled the area and remained at large following the incident. McKinney was a veteran of the United States Navy who had served in the Korean War before his career in school security and law enforcement. His death was later memorialized by the Lake County Sheriff's Department, acknowledging his status as a fallen officer who lost his life in the line of duty.
