A memorial bench dedicated to the four victims who died in a shooting at a Springfield Kum & Go convenience store on March 15, 2020, will be unveiled at 6 o'clock tonight, May 28.
The bench was the idea of the Springfield Police Department and a group called SPD Wives. It is located in Jordan Valley Park, across East Trafficway Street from Hammons Tower.
The bench was created by Jeff Twitty of Boulder Designs. It honors the lives of Officer Christopher Walsh, 32, a Springfield police officer who died in the line of duty; Shannon Perkins, 46, a WCA Waste Corporation employee who happened to be at the store as part of his job; Troy Rapp, 57, a Kum & Go employee; and Matthew Hicks-Morris, 22, who was inside the store as a customer at the time of the shooting.
Walsh responded to a report of an active, roving shooter who ended up at the Kum & Go on East Chestnut Expressway near U.S. Highway 65 on the night of March 15, 2020.
Walsh arrived at the same time as Officer Josiah Overton. The gunman, 31-year-old Joaquin Roman of Springfield, opened fire on the police officers, killing Walsh and injuring Overton. Roman then killed himself.
The Springfield community is invited to the memorial unveiling to honor the victims.
SPD Wives is an independent organization comprised of the significant others of Springfield Police Department employees. Its focus centers around community engagement and fostering interdepartmental connections.
