Slain officer wanted to work in tough area Lee was dedicated to his career, loyal to family and friends

Eric Lee worked one of the most crime-ridden beats in Chicago.

It was strenuous, scary work. He worked odd shifts--5 p.m. to 1a.m. one month, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. the next. His days off changed everyweek and could be canceled at the drop of a hat. He was on-callconstantly.

His life was always on the line.

But off duty, his life was his family. Lee, 37, was always lookingfor ways to spend more time with his wife, Shawn, and his 6-year-olddaughter, Erica.

During the week, he coached Erica's soccer team with the AmericanYouth Soccer Organization and drove her to dance class and recitals.

He taught her how to ride a bike, though just to be safe he'd walkbehind her while she rode down the block in the Auburn-Greshamneighborhood where they lived.

He was easygoing, a low-maintenance kind of guy. Whatever ShawnLee cooked for dinner, he ate--though it helped if she covered thefood with cheese. He loved anything with cheese.

The Lees, who were to celebrate their eighth wedding anniversaryon Sept. 11, were just getting used to the newest member of theirfamily: a German shepherd puppy.

Over 6 feet tall, Lee was a "gentle giant," said his mother-in-law, who asked that her name not be used. "His presence was alwaysfelt. He had such a ready smile."

Something about that smile affected others around Lee, drew themclose to him. He kept a tight-knit circle of friends that went backto his grammar school days.

His best friend, Terry Nalls, has brothers of his own, but saysLee was even more than that to him. The two were best men at eachother's weddings, godfathers to each other's kids, vacation buddies.

"He was my voice of reason," said Nalls, who spoke with Lee byphone hours before the shooting.

The oldest of four siblings, Lee was reared in a two-story brickhouse on South Eggleston where his parents still live, about a 10-minute drive from his brick ranch on West 82nd Place.

His dad, Bobby Lee, is a retired CTA bus driver. His mom, Anna,works for a bank. As kids, Lee looked out for his two brothers, Mark,33, and Steven, 24, and his sister, Michelle, 31.

He attended St. Carthage Catholic School and Leo High School. Hestood out at Leo--class vice president, on the basketball and statechampion track teams, homecoming king one year.

Nalls, now a tactical officer in the South Chicago District, liveda few blocks away from the Lee household. He and Lee wereinseparable, in cahoots but always staying out of trouble, Anna Leesays. They divvied their time playing sports and chasing girls.

After graduating from high school in 1981, Lee enrolled at theUniversity of Illinois at Chicago. He commuted from home. After a fewyears, he still wasn't sure of what he wanted to do with his life.

In 1984, Lee joined the Marines. More than anything, it was a signof his growing independence, says Nalls, who also enlisted. It wasduring his four-year stint that Lee decided he wanted to become acop.

Lee was stationed in San Diego, Nalls in Arizona. The two tried tosee each other whenever possible, Nalls more often making the drivebecause weekends in San Diego were, frankly, more fun.

After his Marine duty was over in 1989, Lee worked briefly as acar salesman in San Diego before moving back to Chicago. He took ajob as a security guard and geared up for his move into lawenforcement.

Lee graduated from the police academy on Dec. 16, 1991.

"He treated everyone fairly," said Earlene Spaulding, aneighborhood relations officer in Englewood who graduated with Lee."I never saw him even talk harsh to an arrestee."

Lee started in the Wentworth District and moved to the EnglewoodDistrict in 1993, where he remained. As a patrol officer, Lee focusedon aggravated assault and battery incidents. He grew experienced,hardened by the neighborhood. "Routine stuff in Englewood is allclose calls," Nalls said.

Lee was dubbed a member of the elite Englewood Rangers, a group ofofficers in the district given that title for their stellarperformance, said Englewood Cmdr. Maurice Ford. The Rangers wear pinsbearing crossed gold sabers and the number seven set above them, forthe 7th District.

"This is one of the toughest districts in the city of Chicago,"Ford said. "Our officers handle the most calls for service. You'reknown as the 'real police' here. But you can't come in as a rookieand be an Englewood Ranger overnight. You earn it."

Put another way, the Rangers, "do the things other [officers] areafraid to do, or just don't want to do," said officer Destry Wilborn,29, another of Lee's childhood friends.

As his seniority grew, Lee became a role model for other youngerofficers.

"He trained me, showed me the ropes on the job," said ErikJohnson, a 1995 police academy graduate who was Lee's first partner."He showed me how to do domestics, traffic stops, everything."

Lee worked the midnight shift. He didn't mind the hours because hecould spend more time with his daughter during the day.

Family members were well-aware of the constant danger that loomedover Lee. They just learned to live with it.

"Sure, we were concerned. That was our concern as soon as hegraduated from the academy," said his mother-in-law, who has severalrelatives who are police officers.

But, she says, his goal always was "to better his community or anycommunity he was in . . . to rid the streets of drugs and crime tothe best of his ability."

Bobby Lee, a CTA bus driver for 34 years, never tried talking hisson out of his job or into a safer district. Instead, he encouragedhis son to use education as a career stepping stone.

"I talked to him about furthering his education, because he wasplanning on going farther in terms of improving his job condition,"Bobby Lee said.

Lee took his dad's advice to heart. In May of 2000, he graduatedmagna cum laude from Chicago State University with a bachelor'sdegree in criminal justice.

Soon after, he requested a shift to the district's tactical unit,which requires rotating shifts. He was the more senior member on a"young, aggressive team," says Nalls, who worked in the EnglewoodDistrict for five years before transferring to the South ChicagoDistrict.

Lee was still able to spend time with his family, but he also wasable to gain overtime working on his days off. Those assignments,called "special employment," included trailing CTA buses in patrolcars. On Sunday, he and Nalls talked on the phone about specialemployment they both had planned to work later this week.

Family and friends say Lee seemed to be readying himself for thenext level in his career. He was preparing to take the sergeant'sexam later this year. His father says he was thinking of getting hismaster's degree, too.

With his experience, Lee could have transferred out of Englewood.The difference was, he didn't.

"We go [to Englewood] because we want to make a difference. That'sthe decision we make," said Nalls, who cleaned out his best friend'slocker Monday and found his own daughter's photo posted inside, nextto Lee's family photos.

"We could all have cush jobs somewhere else in the district. But[Lee] was the working police, and he looked forward to going to workevery day."

Contributing: Frank Main