Detective Annerino Jr. | Star #7936

Detective Charles Patrick Annerino, Jr., Star #7936, aged 30 years, was an 8 year, 5 month, 16 day veteran of the Chicago Police Department, assigned to the Detective Division – Robbery Detail.

On October 22, 1954, just after 12:00 am., Detective Annerino and his two partners, Detectives John Basquette and Bill Murphy, were assigned to search taverns for Augustino “Gus“ Amedeo, age 26 of 1416 North Linder Avenue, an escaped prisoner from the County Jail. Detective Annerino was assigned to the search because he knew Amedeo by sight. When Detective Annerino walked into the Circle lounge at 1756 West Lawrence Avenue Amedeo recognized the officer and shot him through the chest. Amedeo fled the lounge and was pursued by Detective Annerino’s two partners and the two emptied their guns at him as he eluded them.

A manhunt for Amedeo was conducted. It was learned through investigation that Amedeo Genio, girlfriend of Anedeo, at the restaurant she worked at, Paradise Grill located at 127 North Pulaski Road. Anedeo would call between noon and 1:00 p.m., and had been doing so for the past week. Amedeo was eager to get the 1951 automobile purchased for him in Leonard Del Genio’s name. The purchase was arranged October 18, 1954, but delivery was not made until after Detective Annerino’s death. The Del Genio family agreed to cooperate with the police and on October 22, 1954 at 12:00 p.m. Amedeo called the diner and directed Dolly Del Genio to drive the car to Eddy and Clark Streets at 7:00 p.m. to pick him up. 25 policemen were concealed around the intersection. Amedeo used this opportunity to test Mrs. Del Genio and see whether she had notified police. He made no effort to reach the car, but neither did he observe the hidden policemen. After waiting 45 minutes she drove home.

At 1:45 p.m. the next day, Amedeo telephoned Mrs. Del Genio again. “Bring the car to Berwyn and Clark tonight,“ he said. “Have it there at 9 o’clock.“ Mrs. Del Genio drove alone to the rendezvous, but she was escorted by two cabs, a private car, and a truck, all manned be detectives in plain clothes. They converged at 9:20 p.m. on Berwyn Avenue and Clark Street. Mrs. Del Genio sat in the car, while a score of police guns were aimed at the intersection from half a dozen hiding places. Within a few minutes, Amedeo walked toward the car. Detectives Frank Schulze and Eugene Irven, stationed in a window of a nearby building, called out: “Police officers, halt.“

Irven fired a warning shot into the air. Amedeo reached for his hip pocket and started to run. Pape, standing at another window with a 30-30 caliber deer rifle, fired the first shot. It broke Amedeo’s right arm and knocked him to the street. Other policemen opened fire. Amedeo raised up part way, fired two ineffective shots, then went down under a new burst of police fire. Amedeo was killed at the scene. Dr. Jerry Kearns of the Coroner’s staff found an infected bullet wound in Armedeo’s left arm, indicating he had been wounded in the shooting in which Detective Annerino was slain.

On June 28, 1954, Anedeo used a gun to escape from officers who were escorting him from the Cook County Court House back to the jail. His girlfriend, Mrs. Dolores Marcus, age 24 and her brother Leonard Del Genio, age 18, were later arrested for smuggling a gun to Amedeo in court which he used in his escape. She was convicted and sentenced 2 to 3 years in prison. He was convicted and sentenced to 1 to 3 years in prison. He was in jail for burglary.

Detective Annerino was waked at Michael Calcetta & Sons Funeral Home located at 2600 South Wentworth Avenue funeral mass was held at St. Jerome’s Church located at 2823 South Princeton Avenue. He was laid to rest on October 26, 1954 in St. Mary Catholic Cemetery, 87th Street and Hamlin Avenue, Evergreen Park, Illinois. His grave is located in Lot S1/2 of X534, Block –, Section G.

Detective Charles Patrick Annerino, born March 17, 1924, received his Probationary Appointment to the Chicago Police Department on May 6, 1946.

During Detective Annerino’s eight years with the Chicago Police Department he had shot and killed three robbers and wounded four others in gunfights. Detective Annerino was promoted to the rank of Detective two months prior to his death.

Detective Annerino served in the U.S. Navy, was a veteran of World War II and he was Honorably Discharged. He was also a member of the Illinois Policemen’s Benevolent & Welfare Association and the St. Jude Police League. He was survived by his wife, Rose (nee Mozzotil); children, Charles Patrick, III and Theresa; parents: Charles Patrick, Sr. and Katherine (nee Fineberg) and siblings: August, Corinne and Eleanor.

TOWER TICKER – By Herb Lyon, Big City Vinegarette: Excerpt from the Chicago Daily Tribune, November 15, 1954

One dime, a shiny 10 cent piece doesn’t buy very much these days, but a single dime COULD have saved the life of a hero cop. An ironic sidelight in the slaying of Detective Charles Annerino, by the late hood Gus Amedeo, had just come to light in November, 1954. Sure, it’s OLD news now, but it sort of makes you wonder.

It happened this way: At about 11 p.m., on that fateful evening, Acting Deputy Chief of Detectives Bill Walsh and Lieutenant Jim Curtin issued an order to send a north side prowl car on a routine trip to Wilmette to pick up a murder suspect. The job was to be assigned to Car 70 carrying Detective Annerino, and his partners Bill Murphy and John Basquette.

At about two minutes after 11:00, car 70 rolled across the intersection of Western and Belmont Avenues and received orders, via the radio, to phone headquarters. Murphy wanted to stop at a drugstore and make the call, but Detective Annerino thought it would be a better idea to go to the Sheffield Avenue Station, some 18 blocks away and save the dime!

Well, as chance would have It traffic was heavy and car 70 didn’t get there until over 15 minutes later. In the interim, two downtown detectives who had just come on duty were sent out on the Wilmette run. By the time Detective Annerino reached the phone and called headquarters he was told to forget the whole thing. He never did learn what the other assignment would have been even though it would have saved his life. For it was only a short while later that prowl car 70 rolled to a stop in front of a Lawrence Avenue tavern and Charley walked in to his rendezvous with fate.

If only Charley Annerino would have spent a dime on a phone call, his star wouldn’t now be in a cabinet in Commissioner O’Connor’s office with the grim notation. “Killed in action.“ Sure, it’s OLD news now but it sort of makes you wonder.