PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia police officers across the department gathered with the friends and family of Sgt. Robert Wilson III to honor his memory. Wilson was killed in the line of duty a decade ago this month.
Ten bell rings marked 10 years since Wilson’s death, at a somber ceremony in the city’s Strawberry Mansion section in front of his mural at 29th Street and Ridge Avenue.
On March 5, 2015, Wilson stopped by the GameStop store with his partner to pick up a video game as a birthday gift for his young son when two men came in with guns, attempting to rob the store. Wilson drew the attention of the two suspects, firing at them while moving away from patrons so as they were not harmed. He was shot and later died at the hospital, at the age of 30.
“We can remember the incident and the moment as if it were yesterday,” said Deputy Commissioner John Stanford, then a lieutenant in the 22nd District, who knew Wilson well. “Every moment of seeing him was just always a smile on his face, always a joke, always something of humor.”
Wilson posthumously received numerous awards and recognitions, including the Department of Justice’s Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor.
“He paid the ultimate sacrifice and gave his life for members of the community on that day,” said Stanford, who said the department remembers Wilson each and every year — and will continue to honor his memory through the years ahead.
“It’s not just these big moments, it’s every day.”