Law Officer Volume 3 Issue 9 Gary (Ind.) Police Department Patrolman Benjamin Wilcher was killed when another patrol car collided with his unit during a vehicle pursuit. Both officers were involved in a high-speed pursuit of a suspect who had stolen his girlfriend s vehicle after forcing her out of the car. Wilcher was traveling eastbound on 35th Avenue when his patrol car was broadsided by an officer who was traveling southbound on Virginia Street. The injured officers were transported to Northlake Methodist Hospital, and Wilcher was then flown to St. James Hospital in Olympia Fields, Ill., where he died during surgery.
Wilcher served with the Gary Police Department for close to two years. He is survived by his wife, two-year-old and two-month-old sons, parents, sister and brother. This information was provided by the Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring America s fallen law enforcement officers. For more information on this incident, other line-of-duty death reports and law enforcement memorials, visit www.odmp.org.