Fallen Heroes
Police Officer Thomas Matulis, 27, and Police Officer Robert Riley, 28, were gunned down July 10, 1974, in a struggle with three men in the 2600 block of S. 13th Street.
The two men were off duty, and after attending a Milwaukee Brewers game at County Stadium that evening, they met Matulis’s brother and some friends at a south side tavern. En route to another tavern, the group spotted three men tossing and breaking bottles in the street and causing a disturbance.
The two officers walked over and identified themselves as policemen, and during the discussion, a quarrel resulted. Officer Riley went to his car to get his service revolver and returned to the confrontation. Two suspects then started running, and the officers gave chase. Moments later, shots rang out, and the two officers were found dead on the sidewalk.
Officer Riley was unmarried and lived with his widowed mother. He graduated from Notre Dame High School in 1965.