Newly promoted CPD deputy chief dies in apparent suicide at Homan Square facility

A newly promoted Chicago police deputy chief was found dead Tuesday morning of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in the Homan Square police facility on the West Side.

The death of Dion Boyd, 57, was announced at Chicago Police Department headquarters Tuesday afternoon by Supt. David Brown.

Brown, flanked by other members of the CPD’s leadership, said Boyd was “a respected command staff member.”

He was with the department for nearly 30 years.

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“There’s really no way to convey or express the magnitude of this loss,” Brown said. “We are shocked and saddened at the loss that is deeply felt by me and the many colleagues and friends with whom Deputy Chief Boyd worked and mentored throughout his career.”

Brown pleaded with officers to “always remember to take care of ourselves and each other.”

“There is no shame in reaching out for help,” he added. “Please, officers, please, stay humble, stay human, stay safe and stay well.”

Pat Nabong/Sun-Times

Boyd was found dead in his office Tuesday morning, a source said. It was unclear when he was shot.

He’d been sworn in as deputy chief of criminal networks on July 15 in a series of leadership changes by Brown. The unit does investigations into gangs and drug trafficking.

Boyd was previously the Area One commander on the South Side and commander of the Wentworth District. His career included experience as a tactical officer, undercover officer in narcotics, homicide detective and internal affairs officer.

Police sources who’ve met with Boyd recently to discuss investigations said he was interested and upbeat.

Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times

Those who knew Boyd said he struggled with the death of Samuel Jimenez, one of his officers in the Wentworth District, who was killed by a gunman at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in Bronzeville in 2018.

Donovan Price, a crisis responder and frequent presence at shooting scenes across the city, said he got to know Boyd after the Mercy shooting.

Price said Boyd was even-keeled but “always had a permanent pleasant demeanor.” He took pride in his work and “you could see his mind working on what could possibly be built from what was going on,” Price said.

It’s not unprecedented for Chicago police officers to take their lives while on the job. One particularly bad year was 2018 when Chicago Police Officer Brandon Krueger fatally shot himself in the head at a Far South Side police station. Also that year, Sgt. Steven Bechina of the department’s Mass Transit Unit fatally shot himself while on duty in the West Loop.

Suicides have been a continuing problem for the Chicago Police Department for years. In 2017, the U.S. Justice Department reported that the city’s suicide rate among officers was 60% higher than the average of 18.1 officers per 100,000 nationally. The report recommended improvements in mental-health counseling available to officers.

Boyd’s body was taken from Homan Square by ambulance in a procession that included a fleet of other Chicago police vehicles. It headed to the Cook County medical examiner’s office, where dozens of other officers had converged in a show of respect. A giant American flag hung between the partially raised ladders of two fire engines.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot offered her condolences Tuesday afternoon.

“We are truly at a loss of words by the death of Deputy Chief of Criminal Networks Dion Boyd,” the mayor wrote on Twitter.

“This devastating loss will not only be felt at every level of this Department, but in the countless communities and homes Deputy Chief Boyd touched during his decades-long service to our city,” Lightfoot wrote.

“To every officer, we want you to know that you are deserving of help and healing, and no one needs to struggle alone. This City has a fundamental obligation to support each of you, and over the coming weeks, we will be taking steps to bolster our support network so that every first responder understands that help is available.”

She urged any officer “who is suffering and feels they have nowhere turn” to reach out to the department’s chaplains or employee assistance program if needed.

Officers salute outside the Cook County medical examiner’s office Tuesday as an ambulance passes carrying the body Deputy Chief Dion Boyd, who was found dead in his office Tuesday morning, July 28, 2020 of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. | Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times

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Officers salute outside the Cook County medical examiner’s office as an ambulance passes carrying the body Deputy Chief Dion Boyd, who was found dead in his office Tuesday morning, July 28, 2020 of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. | Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times

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The Chicago Police Department’s Homan Square facility, where Deputy Chief Dion Boyd was found dead Tuesday morning, July 28, 2020, of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. | Manny Ramos/Sun-Times

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Chicago Fire Department personnel hang the American flag outside the Cook County medical examiner’s office for the procession for Deputy Chief Dion Boyd, who was found dead in his office Tuesday morning, of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound. | Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times

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Officers salute outside the Cook County medical examiner’s office as an ambulance passes, containing the body of a high-ranking Chicago Police officer who died of an apparent suicide, Tuesday afternoon, July 28, 2020. | Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times

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Officers salute outside the Cook County medical examiner’s office as an ambulance passes Tuesday afternoon, containing the body Deputy Chief Dion Boyd, who died of an apparent suicide. His body was found that morning in his office. | Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times

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Officers salute outside the Cook County medical examiner’s office on the afternoon of Tuesday, July 28, 2020 as an ambulance passes containing the body of Deputy Chief Dion Boyd, who was found dead in his office that morning of an apparent suicide. | Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times

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Officers salute outside the Cook County medical examiner’s office on the afternoon of Tuesday, July 28, 2020 as an ambulance passes containing the body of Deputy Chief Dion Boyd, who was found dead in his office that morning of an apparent suicide. | Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times

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Officers salute outside the Cook County medical examiner’s office on the afternoon of Tuesday, July 28, 2020 as an ambulance passes containing the body of Deputy Chief Dion Boyd, who was found dead in his office that morning of an apparent suicide. | Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times

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Chicago police officers file into the Cook County medical examiner’s office Tuesday afternoon, after the ambulance arrived containing the body of Deputy Chief Dion Boyd, who was found dead in his Homan Square office that morning of an apparent suicide. | Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times

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Chicago Fire Department personnel take down the American flag outside the Cook County medical examiner’s office after the procession for CPD Deputy Chief Dion Boyd, who was found dead in his office Tuesday morning, July 28, 2020 of an apparent suicide. | Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times

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Chicago police officers leave the Cook County medical examiner’s office Tuesday afternoon, July 28, 2020. CPD Deputy Chief Dion Boyd was found dead in his office that morning of an apparent suicide. | Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times

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