Volunteers participate in the clean up of Charles W. Hill Park March 22, the 36th anniversary of Officer Corporal Hill’s death in the line of duty.
Members of the Alexandria Police Department descended on Del Ray March 22 for the annual Charles W. Hill Park clean up in memory of Hill, the last APD officer to be killed in the line of duty.
“History matters,” said APD Lt Jason Story. “Remembering days like March 22, 1989, is very important. It’s about honoring Corporal Hill and honoring his family.”
March 22, 1989, began as a routine workday for Hill and his family. A member of the Special Operations Team with the APD, Hill was home early playing with his two sons when he was called to respond to a hostage situation in Old Town. During the standoff, Hill was fatally shot, becoming the last APD officer to be killed in the line of duty.
Thirty-six years later, members of the law enforcement community turned out for the annual clean up and beautification of the Del Ray park named in Hill’s memory.
“Charlie was killed on March 22, 1989, in the line of duty saving hostages,” Story said. “We’re here to remember him, his sacrifice and the family’s sacrifice.”
A 13-year-member of the Alexandria police force, Hill was killed when 34-year-old Jamie Wise had taken several hostages in the 300 block of Hopkins Court to collect on a drug debt.
After a five-hour standoff, Wise emerged with a sawed-off shotgun pointed at the head of a teenage hostage. A police sharpshooter shot Wise but not before he was able to fire off two rounds. One fatally wounded Hill and the other severely injured Hill's partner, officer Andrew Chelchowski.
Just one month earlier, Hill had celebrated his 40th birthday. In 1993, Chelchowski, Hill’s partner that day, died of suicide after suffering from PTSD from the incident four years earlier.
Joining the APD officers were student volunteers from Episcopal High School.
“We wanted to be here to do something positive in the community and to learn about the service of Officer Hill,” said EHS student William Jacoby.
Added Story, “Many retirees are here because they lived through it. It’s about keeping alive Corporal Hill’s memory and sacrifice.”
APD officers listen to the story of the events leading to the death of Corporal Charles Hill in the line of duty March 22, 1989.