Roll of Honor
William "Wally" Rolniak, Jr.
Incident
Detective William Rolniak was shot and killed execution-style after being taken hostage inside the Riverdale police station.
The suspect had been in custody on charges of attempted murder, home invasion, and aggravated kidnapping after breaking into a home and abducting his ex-girlfriend at gunpoint nine days earlier, despite having an order of protection issued against him. The suspect had just finished being interviewed by an assistant state's attorney and was being transferred from an interview room to the lockup area of the station when he grabbed Detective Rolniak's service weapon out of its holster at approximately 8:15 pm. The suspect was not handcuffed at the time because he had been cooperating with the authorities.
The suspect then forced Detective Rolniak out of the police station, took him behind a building across the street, and shot him in the head. The suspect attempted to flee by trying to carjack three different vehicles, shooting and wounding an elderly man who refused to give up his vehicle. Three other officers in pursuit of the suspect ordered him to drop the weapon, but instead, he aimed the gun at the officers, who then shot and killed him. Detective Rolniak was transported to Christ Medical Center where he died two hours later.
Detective Rolniak was a United States Air Force veteran and had served with the Riverdale Police Department for 14 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, two teenage daughters, parents, and three sisters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-E573F792- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Detective Rolniak gave the Riverdale Police Department 14 years.
Thank you for your service to the Riverdale community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
William "Wally" Rolniak, Jr. served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Detective William "Wally" Rolniak, Jr. is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 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 9.7 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William "Wally" Rolniak, Jr.'s cause is highlighted.
How William "Wally" Rolniak, Jr. Compares
Offender Outcome
Shot and killed
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William "Wally" Rolniak, Jr. is highlighted in Feb.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. William "Wally" Rolniak, Jr. was killed by officer's handgun.