Nicholas John Hopkins
Agency patch
Trooper

Nicholas John Hopkins

Illinois State Police — Springfield, IL
Felonious
End of Watch August 23, 2019
Age 33
Tour of Duty 10 yrs
The Vigil Panel 170 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Trooper Nicholas Hopkins was shot and killed while serving a search warrant at a home at 1426 North 42nd Street and Caseyville Avenue in East St. Louis, Illinois.

He and other members of the Emergency Response Team were making entry into the home at 5:30 am when he was shot by an occupant during an exchange of gunfire.

The subject plead guilty and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

Trooper Hopkins had served with the Illinois State Police for 10 years.

Survivors

He is survived by his wife, children, and brother.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-IL-044203B1
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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Trooper Hopkins gave the Illinois State Police 10 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of Illinois. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Trooper Hopkins.

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

Agency

Location Springfield, IL
Platform Identity ilsp.il.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 23, 2019
Tour of Duty 10 yrs
Age 33
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious
Cause Detail Gunfire
Weapon Gun; Unknown type
Offender 40 years prison

Trooper Nicholas John Hopkins 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%.

At Illinois State Police, 17 of 67 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 25.4% of this agency's fallen.

Illinois State Police
17
of 67 officers
25.4% Felonious
IL — Statewide
842
of 1,318 officers
63.9% Felonious
Nationwide
17,623
of 32,508 officers
54.2% Felonious

National Cause Distribution

How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Nicholas John Hopkins's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How Nicholas John Hopkins Compares

Age at End of Watch
33
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 39.0 years
Years of Service
10
This officer
Avg for Felonious: 8.5 years

Offender Outcome

40 years prison

When Felonious Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Nicholas John Hopkins is highlighted in Aug.

Jan
1,392
Feb
1,295
Mar
1,373
Apr
1,517
May
1,505
Jun
1,443
Jul
1,587
Aug
1,516
Sep
1,553
Oct
1,371
Nov
1,447
Dec
1,624

Weapons Used Against Officers

Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Nicholas John Hopkins was killed by gun; unknown type.

Gun; Unknown type
5,083
Handgun
2,077
Shotgun
922
Officer's handgun
909
Automobile; Alcohol involved
530
Rifle
518

Incident Location