A former Chicago police officer died by suicide Saturday afternoon, just 10 days after retiring from the force, officials said.
Timothy Nelson, 52, was found with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head about 2:10 p.m. inside a home in the Jefferson Park District, police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
His death was ruled a suicide, the medical examiner announced Sunday.
The former officer had retired 10 days earlier, according to a tweet from Ald. Ray Lopez (15th), a mayoral candidate.
A police spokesman confirmed the officer was retired, but declined to say when.
Before Nelson’s death, 51-year-old Earl Kelly, who worked in the Austin District, had most recently died by suicide Sept. 1.
Police spokesman Tom Ahern confirmed the death on Twitter and said the officer was not on duty at the time. Police officials have declined to release more information about the circumstances of Nelson’s death, including when it was reported.
His death is the latest in a string of police officer suicides this summer, putting Chicago Police Supt. David Brown under heavy scrutiny for routinely canceling days off for officers as the department grapples with staffing issues and recruiting and retaining officers.
During a rally this summer, family members of some officers who have died blamed long hours and the toll of working for days — sometimes weeks — without time off for the rash of suicides.
Sgt. Andrew Dobda, 47, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on July 17 — just a day after Officer Durand Lee, 42, who was found dead inside his home on the Near South Side. Both deaths were ruled suicides by the medical examiner’s office.
Officer Patricia Swank, 29, also died by suicide earlier that month.
Brown announced changes late last monththat he said were aimed at giving officers more time off. The policy shift came just a day after the city’s Inspector General Deborah Witzburg issued a scathing report showing the department scheduled nearly 1,200 officers to work at least 11 straight days earlier this year.
Under the new policy, most officers can’t have more than one off-day canceled each week.
“The physical and emotional well-being of our officers remains the top priority of our department,” Brown said in announcing the change.
More than a dozen suicides have been reported in the police department since 2018. A 2017 U.S. Justice Department report found the department’s suicide rate was 60% higher than the nationwide average for officers.
The city provides counseling services to employees and their families through the Employee Assistance Program, which can be reached at (312) 743-0378.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline offers help around the clock for people in crisis at (800) 273-8255.
