GREAT FALLS — Great Falls police officer Shane Chadwick is being remembered today, 25 years after he was shot and killed in the line of duty.
On September 7, 1994, Chadwick was shot and killed while responding to a noise complaint at an apartment complex. The suspect was shoveling birdseed to hundreds of birds, causing a lot of noise. As Chadwick approached, the man suddenly turned and shot at him with two 9-mm handguns. The suspect was later shot and killed by a police sniper.
Officer Chadwick was survived by his wife and son.
On Saturday, the Great Falls Police Department shared a video tribute in his honor. GFPD Chief David Bowen spoke of Chadwick’s legacy as a great leader and friend.
Bowen started his career with the police department around the same time as Chadwick: "My badge number is 162 and his badge number was 167. So, there were only five numbers separating us,“ Bowen said.
Bowen fondly remembers Chadwick as a man who was ‘larger than life’.
“I often joke that, you know, if I wasn't the Chief of Police I think he would've been. I mean he just was that kind of guy that everybody respected, that everybody just looked up to. He was a leader, tremendous individual. Larger than life, not just as a person with his physical attributes, but the kind of guy he was.”
Shane’s death shocked the entire department.
“It was a reminder and still is to our officers...that the bad days can happen. We pray that they don’t. But it sure shocked us 25 years ago.”
Chief Bowen asks the community to pray for the safety of the men and women in blue - both in Great Falls and across the nation, not just today but every day.
Click here to read memories of Chadwick on the Officer Down Memorial Page.
