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Lieutenant

Lewis M. Paul

Illinois Department of Corrections — Springfield, IL

Felonious

End of Watch November 23, 1965

Age 36

The Vigil Panel 101 ›

Gender Male

Incident Media Service The Sacrifice Memorials 1 Department 31

Incident

Lieutenant Lewis Paul, Lieutenant Arthur Kisro and Correctional Officer George Wilson were killed during a riot at the Menard Correctional Center. The incident started when a flaming bottle filled with lacquer thinner was thrown at a guard tower, where the officer there was severely burned. A riot erupted and four of its leaders barricaded themselves and hostages in the kitchen. Lieutenant Paul died instantly from a stab wound to his heart when the riot broke out at about 4:15 pm in the inmate dining hall. Lieutenant Kisro died at 6:15 pm from assault wounds to his liver and abdomen. Correctional Officer Wilson died at 8:40 pm from assault wounds to his liver and kidney. During the over four-hour standoff, another injured correctional officer who was being held hostage and suffering from loss of blood, was given a transfusion through the bars of the kitchen door. The director of the Department of Public Safety was able to talk the inmates into surrendering at 8:40 pm. The four leaders of the uprising were convicted. Three inmates were sentenced to death until the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the death penalty unconstitutional in 1972. One of these inmates was resentenced to 480 years in prison, another was resentenced to three 200 year terms, while the third was resentenced to 300 years. A fourth inmate, who was sentenced to 50 to 75 years, was paroled on July 2, 1998. The inmate sentenced to 300 years was paroled in 2014.

Survivors

Lieutenant Paul was survived by two sons.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Lieutenant Paul served with the Illinois Department of Corrections.
Thank you for your service to the people of Illinois. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Lieutenant Paul.

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

Agency

Department Illinois Department of Corrections

Type Corrections

Location Springfield, Sangamon County, IL

Platform Identity illicorr.sangamon.il.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch November 23, 1965

Age 36

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Edged weapon

The Sacrifice · Felonious

Lewis is one of 15,743 officers killed feloniously in the United States, 57.1% of the 27,551 remembered there.

33,917 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.

Compare against

Time

In 1965, 78 officers in the United States were killed feloniously, the 89th heaviest of 213 years on record. The heaviest was 1921, with 248.

Every year on record · United States

Who

Lewis was 36. Of the 14,220 killed feloniously in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 31 and 47; the middle age was 38.

Age at death

Where he stood among them

Age by years of service

III

When

November holds 8.1% of these deaths in the United States; December holds the most, 9.4%. Tuesdays: 13.4%.

By month

By day of the week

How

Felonious deaths account for 57.1% of all 27,551 deaths in the United States, the most common cause. The weapon recorded was edged weapon, in 2.2% of these deaths.

Every cause

Weapons recorded