Roll of Honor
Incident
Special Agent Pete Lackey's throat was slashed as he was on his way to work in Springfield. Agent Lackey was to testify at a drug trial that morning. The defendant in the case spotted him driving toward the city and ambushed him. To get Agent Lackey to stop, the man rammed his car into the rear of the agent's automobile. Agent Lackey pulled over to the shoulder of the road and the attacker jumped through the passenger side window with a large hunting knife in his hand. As Agent Lackey attempted to reach for his weapon his assailant slit his throat. A group of nurses saw the beginning of the struggle as they were driving past the scene. They turned their car around and went back to see if they could help. In the brief time it took them to return the killer fled and Special Agent Lackey had died. The man was later arrested and brought to trial in Decatur, but was acquitted. In 1981 the killer admitted his crime in an interview with a reporter from Springfield's "State Journal Register." A chronic drug abuser, the killer died in a psychiatric hospital. Special Agent Lackey had served with the Illinois Bureau of Investigation for two years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-IL-5FDC680B- Stewardship
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- 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.
Special Agent Lackey gave the Illinois Bureau of Investigation 2 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Special Agent Lackey.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Special Agent Pete Earl Lackey 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. Pete Earl Lackey's cause is highlighted.
How Pete Earl Lackey Compares
Offender Outcome
Acquitted
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Pete Earl Lackey is highlighted in Nov.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Pete Earl Lackey was killed by edged weapon; knife.