GREAT FALLS — Great Falls police officer Shane Russell Chadwick, who was killed in the line of duty 30 years ago, is now memorialized with a large mural.
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 by a police sniper, and died soon after. Chadwick was survived by his wife and son.
The Shane Chadwick Memorial Mural Dedication took place on Saturday, September 7, 2024. It was at 721 First Alley North, and was attended by current and former GFPD officers.
“What a gift and what a blessing, you know,” said John Schaffer, a retired Captain of the Great Falls Police Department. “It just it shows how the impact that a public servant can make on a community.”
“Time goes by quick. It seems like it just happened yesterday,” said James Dahlen, Chadwick’s cousin. “But…the support of the community is amazing.”
“This is really like a very peaceful closure for us,” said Gayle Dahlen, Chadwick’s aunt.
Police car #34, the number of the cruiser he had when he died, was parked in the alleyway during the service.
“We will always associate GFPD car 34, which you can see in the alley, to Shane,” said Doug Mahlum, Great Falls Police Department Captain.
A wreath was placed for Chadwick in front of the mural with his badge number, which is on souvenirs the department gives to children.
The Dahlen family also gave the GFPD Chadwick’s flag, so that it can be remembered at the station.
“I think he would be very proud of the community that he served and made the ultimate sacrifice for,” Schaffer said.
Fundraising for the mural has been underway for several months; click here for information.
On the 25th anniversary of Chadwick's death, then-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 remembered 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.”
Click here to read memories of Chadwick on the Officer Down Memorial Page.
