‘Horrible, senseless loss:’ Hundreds gather to honor slain Deputy Wordlaw

COOK COUNTY, Ill. — Hundreds of family, friends and officers were gathering Friday at a Harvey church to honor a Cook County correctional officer who was slain in an armed robbery, many dressed in uniform or his favorite color of red.

Sheriff Tom Dart remembered Deputy Rafael Wordlaw, who would have turned 32 on Saturday, as a hard worker and someone who made sure those around him were always protected.

“This is just a horrible senseless loss of an individual who was a hero. He was an amazing employee, but he truly was a hero. He was there to protect people that night and was killed,” Dart said outside the St. Mark Baptist Church Cathedral , on the 14000 block of Lincoln Avenue.

The sound of bagpipes and drums filled the air as pallbearers carried Wordlaw’s flag-covered casket to a hearse for the procession to his final resting place. Like Dart, family members called Wordlaw a “hero” and expressed a sense of pride that their loved one was able to achieve his dream of working in law enforcement.

“He was a hero. He was a protector and he died being there,” Wordlaw’s cousin Tiffany Davenport shared. “That’s all he wanted to do as a kid.”

Wordlaw, an Englewood native who attended Indiana State University before working at the cook County Jail, was shot during an armed robbery at a gas station in Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood in the early morning hours of July 30. He tried to drive away after being wounded but crashed into a pole and later died at the University of Chicago Medical Center, authorities said.

Cordarrow Thompson, 32, of Chicago is charged with first-degree murder, along with six other felonies, including attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery and attempted armed robbery. Police say Thompson fired 69 shots at Wordlaw, who returned fire and hit Thompson in the leg. Officials alleged the wounded Thompson went to a hospital for treatment but refused to cooperate with police and provided false information before fleeing to a second hospital in a ride-share. He was arrested within three hours of the shooting.

A visitation for Wordlaw was held Thursday at the Leak and Sons Funeral Home on Pulaski Road in Country Club Hills.

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