Officer Robert Wilson III
Thomas McLean had a job to do and needed help, a lot of it.
As a lieutenant in North Philadelphia’s 22nd Police District, one of the most crime-ridden districts in the city, McLean was assigned to coordinate the body camera pilot program. The police department shipped 30 small cameras to the district, where officers would affix them to their uniforms, testing their effectiveness in recording the officers’ activities.
The test period began last Dec. 1 and would continue for six months. It didn’t arrive without skepticism, as some within the department, notably Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 President John McNesby, questioned whether the recordings could be used to second-guess officers’ split-second decisions. Meanwhile, advocates noted that the cameras could be used to protect citizens against an officer’s misconduct while also protecting officers against false accusations.
Officer Robert Wilson III was among the first volunteers for the special duty, according to McLean, who is now a captain in the Northeast’s 2nd Police District.
“I’ve known him his whole career. That was the kind of attitude he had, to volunteer for the program. He’d do everything you’d ask him to do,” McLean said of Wilson, the officer who was shot and killed during an attempted robbery of a North Philly GameStop store last Thursday afternoon.
“It’s a shock every time it happens,” McLean said of the slaying. “You know it’s part of the business, but everybody is taking it pretty hard.”
Wilson became the 260th Philadelphia Police Department officer killed in the line of duty, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page website, and the first since a robber gunned down Officer Moses Walker Jr. on Aug. 18, 2012. Walker was also assigned to the 22nd district at the time of his death. Although he had just finished a shift and was not in uniform, Walker responded as a crimefighter would, by reaching for his own weapon, because police officers never really go off-duty.
Wilson did the same, according to an account of the GameStop shootout offered by Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey. Wilson and his partner, Damien Stevenson, stopped at the video game store at 22nd Street and Lehigh Avenue in their patrol area. Wilson went inside while Stevenson waited outside in the car. It was about 4:44 p.m.
Wilson was among several patrons and employees who had gathered near the cashier’s counter when two gunmen burst through the doorway and announced a holdup. Investigators believe that the bandits were so focused on their mission that they didn’t notice the marked police cruiser outside or that Wilson, in full uniform, was standing before them.
Seeing the imminent danger, Wilson moved away from the other victims and went for his own gun. Then the shooting began. With the robbers standing on either side of Wilson, they shot him multiple times. But Wilson continued to return fire until one slug struck him fatally in the head, Ramsey said.
Hearing the gunfire, Stevenson moved to assist. As the robbers fled the store, Wilson’s partner exchanged more gunfire with them, wounding one of the crooks in the leg. The other suspect returned to the store and tried to “blend in” with the victims and witnesses. Police soon linked that second robber to the crime and arrested him.
Police took Wilson to Temple University Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery, but perished at 6:25 p.m. The 30-year-old from Southwest Philly was an eight-year police veteran and the father of two boys, ages 9 and 1. City officials said he is also survived by a beloved grandmother. The police department had not confirmed viewing and funeral arrangements as of Tuesday afternoon.
“I knew (Wilson), met him. He was one of the best police officers this city has to offer, period,” said Ramsey, who had visited the 22nd recently to thank the body camera program volunteers in person.
The commissioner reflected on the tragic impact of the slaying: “A 9-year-old son is now going to grow up without a father as a result of what happened here today. A 1-year-old is going to grow up without a dad because this police officer put his life on the line to protect the city.”
Authorities identified the wounded robber as Carlton Hipps, 29, who remains hospitalized under police guard at Albert Einstein Medical Center, and his accomplice as Ramone Williams, 24. Both lived on the 1200 block of N. Hollywood St. Police said they are brothers. Video surveillance cameras from the store recorded the shootout, Ramsey said. Authorities did not disclose if Wilson’s body camera recorded it. Police allegedly recovered the suspects’ two handguns at the scene.
“The senseless violence of some people is completely unacceptable in this city,” Mayor Michael Nutter said. “This is one more example of the dangers that police officers and law enforcement personnel face on a daily basis.”
McNesby, the police union president, issued a statement that Lodge 5 members “are deeply saddened by the death of Police Officer Robert Wilson. … Please keep the Wilson family in your prayers.”
McLean described Wilson as a popular officer, a “big personality.”
“You knew when Rob was in the room,” the captain said. “He had an infectious smile. He never had a bad day.”
And he took his job, his commitment to protect and serve, very seriously.
“He and his partner were best friends and they made a lot of good arrests,” McLean said. “He would never back down. He was physically fit. It’s not surprising that he went down fighting. He was that kind of a guy.”
A memorial fund to benefit Wilson’s family has been set up at the Police and Fire Federal Credit Union. Donations can be made at any PFFCU branch or by telephone at 215–931–0300. ••
