MISHAWAKA, Ind. -- The somber anniversary may pass without much public fanfare, but for Mishawaka police officers and their families, the chilly weather sharpens memories from a decade ago, when two bullets shattered a fragile sense of small-town tranquillity.
Today marks the passage of 10 years since Cpl. Thomas Roberts and Patrolman Bryan Verkler became the first police officers in Mishawaka history to be murdered in the line of duty, a disaster that hammered home the job's perils, even in a quiet city of 48,000.
"You never really thought about it happening to you or even happening here," said Capt. Pasquale Rulli, the local Fraternal Order of Police president who also held the post at the time of the shootings. "At that point I'd been here 191/2 years and we'd never had anything like that happen -- nothing even close to that."
Rulli, a detective, was among the first off-duty officers to arrive at the scene of the shootings, which happened during the midnight shift in the early morning hours of Dec. 13, 2003.
The trouble started just before 1 a.m., when police responded to a report of shots fired at 125 E. Battell St. -- a somewhat routine complaint now but one that was still unusual for Mishawaka 10 years ago. Witnesses said the initial gunshots rang out when Raymond Matthew Gilkeson, 30, fired his handgun in the air after taking a necklace from a 17-year-old acquaintance.
By the time officers arrived, Gilkeson had fled from the scene and gone to 1012 E. Sarah St., so Roberts and Verkler went there to find him. When the two officers tried to take Gilkeson into custody on the front porch, he pulled his gun and, amid a struggle, shot Roberts in the head and Verkler in the shoulder or upper chest. Roberts died at the scene, and Verkler died in surgery about three hours later. Gilkeson killed himself inside the house after another officer returned fire and wounded him.
While some of the Mishawaka Police Department's younger officers may not have strong memories of the shooting and its aftermath, the mental images remain vivid for those who were on the force 10 years ago.
"I would think almost every officer here could tell you where they were and exactly what they were doing that day," said Mishawaka Police Chief Kenneth Witkowski, who was a captain at the time and became chief soon after the shootings. "It's like for a few hours, time stands still for you, the whole shock of that day."
Witkowski said the tragedy didn't change much about how the city's police approach their jobs because they work every day with the constant understanding that the next call could be their last. But it did create a heightened awareness of what appears to be an increasingly violent world for police officers, he said.
"If nothing else, there's a much greater awareness of the real world, that things do happen," he said. "This isn't small-town America anymore."
Roberts' then-girlfriend, Deb McGinnis, remembers when two officers appeared at her door to tell her Roberts had been killed.
"It was like a nightmare. It never crossed my mind that something horrible like that could happen to not just one officer but two officers," she said, adding that many Mishawaka residents had seen the city almost as a real-life Mayberry. "I just couldn't believe it, I didn't want to believe it."
Colleagues and loved ones remember Roberts and Verkler as affable, well-liked members of the police force who were active in FOP events. Roberts, 43, a 14-year veteran of the force, was always quick with a joke and liked to organize poker nights and fishing trips. But above all, he was passionate about Notre Dame football.
"Tom was crazy about Notre Dame," said his younger brother, Gary Roberts, recalling the old school bus his brother painted blue and gold and turned into a tailgating machine.
Verkler, 27, a relatively new officer with 21/2 years at the department, enjoyed fly fishing and weightlifting, and his compassionate demeanor -- juxtaposed with an imposing physique -- endeared him to colleagues, some of whom nicknamed the Walkerton native "Big V" or "Big Country."
"Bryan was a good friend -- very jolly," said McGinnis, who knew him from her time as a 911 dispatcher.
The Mishawaka Police Department honors its fallen members -- another officer, Cpl. James Szuba, was killed when a drunken driver hit his car in 2010 -- with a memorial service each spring, but no public observance is planned for the 10th anniversary of Roberts' and Verkler's deaths. Instead, their families and friends will remember them in private, said Gary Roberts, who organized a gathering for this evening.
As usual, McGinnis said, she and her family plan to visit the cemetery and lay flowers at the officers' benches at the memorial at the Mishawaka police station on Church Street. Meanwhile, officers will gather for a moment of silence today with the Mishawaka police chaplain, Rulli said. He added that Verkler's widow, Juli Havens Verkler, often contacts him this time of year to share memories, but he wasn't sure if she would be participating in a memorial observance. The Tribune was not able to reach her this week.
Ten years after the tragedy, the officers' friends, family and colleagues still feel both the anguish of the loss and the swelling of gratitude at the outpouring of support from the public and the law enforcement community. Gary Roberts said the anniversary of their deaths also provides an opportunity to remember others who have given their lives to protect the community.
"I always take time to think about other officers that have paid that ultimate sacrifice," he said.
Copyright 2013 - South Bend Tribune, Ind.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
