Family of slain Oak Park detective finds joy in memories of him: 'He meant the world to me'

OAK PARK, Ill. (WLS) -- It's been nearly six weeks since Oak Park police Detective Allan Reddins was shot and killed in the line of duty.

The death was extremely painful for his close-knit family.

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And while they're struggling with how to move forward, they are finding joy in their memories of him.

"He meant the world to me. He was my best friend," said Jayden Reddins, the slain officer's 19-year-old son.

Reddins said he was always close with his father, and proud that his dad was living his dream: a career in law enforcement.

Allan Reddins joined the Oak Park Police Department in 2019. He became a detective three years later.

"Which is kind of quick because usually you don't hear of people becoming a detective until 10 years in, and he wasn't even five years in. I was always proud of him for that," Jayden Reddins said.

Reddins said his dad was just as proud of him, celebrating with Reddins' mother when he was accepted into Morehouse College.

"He calls his dad, and we're screaming over the phone. You could hear us all over the South Side, I'm sure," Reddins' mother Stacey Bailey said.

Jayden Reddins came home from college for Thanksgiving.

He watched the Bears game that night with his dad. It was their last time together.

The next morning, 40-year-old Reddins was shot and killed, when he responded to a report of a man with a gun at an Oak Park bank.

"Some days feel heavier than others. Of course, the holidays was a rough time for me. I wasn't really in the holiday spirit at all, to say the least," Jayden Reddins said.

"The world stopped moving. And it feels like we've been stuck standing still since that moment. Everything else is moving; we did the funeral. We did this; we did that, but we are just stuck," Bailey said.

Reddins will head back to campus next week, continuing his pre-med studies.

He said he still feels his father's presence.

"There's never going to be a day when I don't miss my dad," Reddins said.

Allan Reddins was the first Oak Park officer killed in the line of duty since 1938.

Jerell Thomas, 37, has been charged with his murder.