March 8, 2023 Dupo Police Officer Patrick Carrier, who was shot in the shoulder by a murder suspect last month, returned home from the hospital with a police escort.
By Carolyn P. Smith Source Belleville News-Democrat Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Dupo Police Officer Patrick Carrier came home from the hospital Tuesday accompanied by a long police procession and a rousing welcome more than a week after he was shot in the line of duty.
“It’s a good day for us in Dupo. The officer who was injured on duty was brought home today. This is good news,” an excited Mayor Jerry Wilson said about an hour after the procession ended.
Carrier, 49, who has served as a police officer for 12 years, was shot in the shoulder by a homicide suspect on the afternoon of Sunday, Feb. 26. Carrier had responded to a call about a shooting on McBride Avenue in unincorporated St. Clair County near Dupo, authorities have said.
Darryl T. Mantz, 46, had been fatally shot, police said.
The suspect, Reginald O. Allen, 40, died of a self-inflicted gunshot. His body was found by police Sunday night in his garage off McBride Avenue near where Carrier was shot. An AR-15 rifle was found next to Allen.
Mantz and Allen were acquaintances and had worked together rehabbing homes. Police have not released a motive.
The procession home from the hospital
Police officers from across the region formed a long procession from the hospital in St. Louis and escorted Carrier’s ambulance back home to Dupo in Illinois on Tuesday.
The procession crossed the Jefferson Barracks Bridge from Missouri into Illinois. Flags from the Columbia Fire Department and Prairie Dupont Fire Department hung across the bridge.
An enthusiastic crowd that included Dupo village board members, residents and the mayor welcomed the officer back to town.
The local school let the children out so they could witness the procession. Mayor Wilson said he saw many happy faces and big smiles in the crowd.
“He deserved a full police escort. Seeing him come home made it a great day in Dupo,” Wilson said.
Asked for an assessment of the officer’s progress, Wilson said the officer “has to recuperate and heal.”
“He will have to have some therapy, too. He will have all of the time he needs to totally be ready to return to the police department,” Wilson said.
The mayor talked about the danger of police work.
“The men and women who do this job put their lives on the line every day,” he said. “We have to show them how much we appreciate what they do to keep our communities safe.”
Last week, in a Facebook post, Donna Wright Carrier thanked everyone for supporting her husband and family.
“My family and myself as well as Patrick wanted to take a moment today to say how overwhelmed and how full (our) hearts are by the outpouring of love and support and kind words from all of you over the past few days,” she wrote.