James William Koumoundouros
Agency patch
Police Officer

James William Koumoundouros

Chicago Police Department — Chicago, IL
Felonious
End of Watch September 7, 1977
Age 30
Tour of Duty 5 yrs
Badge 4514
The Vigil Panel 119 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Officer James Koumoundouros, while working security at a chicago bank in the 6200 block of North Lincoln Avenue, observed an armed assailant walk in. The gunman immediately pointed his weapon at Officer Koumoundouros. While discreetly pushing the alarm button, Officer Koumoundouros calmly talked to the gunman. He drew his revolver and shot the robber. However, the gunman returned fire, mortally wounding Officer Koumoundouros. The gunman was convicted and sentenced to death. The governor at the time, George Ryan commuted his sentence, along with those of all 164 other inmates on death row, to life in prison on January 20, 2003.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-A70C87BD
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Police Officer Koumoundouros gave the Chicago Police Department 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the Chicago community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Koumoundouros.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Police Department
Location Chicago, Cook County, IL
Platform Identity cpd.cook.il.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 7, 1977
Tour of Duty 5 yrs
Age 30
Badge Number 4514
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Weapon Handgun

Police Officer James William Koumoundouros is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In IL, 842 of 1,318 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 63.9% of this state's fallen. That is 63.9 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At Chicago Police Department, 396 of 571 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 69.4% of this agency's fallen.

Chicago Police Department
396
of 571 officers
69.4% Felonious
IL — Statewide
842
of 1,318 officers
63.9% Felonious
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James William Koumoundouros's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How James William Koumoundouros Compares

Age at Death
30
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
5
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.4 years

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. James William Koumoundouros is highlighted in Sep.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,516
May
1,504
Jun
1,442
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,517
Sep
1,491
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. James William Koumoundouros was killed by handgun.

Handgun
3,684
Gun
3,592
Gun; Unknown type
1,492
Shotgun
1,109
Rifle
935
Officer's handgun
909

Incident Location