Deputy Sheriff Sean Riley

Officer: Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Sheriff Sean Riley

Date: 12/29/2021        Location: Wayne County, IL  FACTORS (1,2,7,8,15,19)

Perpetrator(s) Involved: Ray Tate

Criminal Activity History/Involved: Yes, Tate was wanted for a December 16, 2021, shooting/attempted carjacking in Indiana./ Yes, Tate ambushed the deputy sent to help him.

Mental Illness: Unknown.

Substance Abuse History/Involved: Unknown./ None stated.

Race/Sex/Age: White/Male/40

What prompted the initial contact with the killer? At approximately 5 a.m. on December 29, 2021, Wayne County Deputy Sheriff Sean Riley responded to a 911 call to assist a motorist. Upon arriving at the scene, Deputy Riley informed dispatch of the license plate of the vehicle needing assistance.

Actions taken by subject toward police: Tate ambushed the unsuspecting Deputy Riley, shooting him dead and then driving off in his patrol car and “embarking on a multistate carjacking and robbery spree”, shooting another man and ultimately committing a home invasion in Carlyle, IL.

Reactions by the police: After a back-up officer found Deputy Riley dead at the scene and his patrol car missing, a manhunt ensued and later that afternoon around 1:30 p.m. a SWAT team entered the home Tate was hiding in and arrested him without further incident.

How murdered? Deputy Riley was ambushed and shot while assisting a disabled motorist.

What could have been done differently for the officer to still be alive? During every 911 call and traffic officers should insist on seeing the subject’s hands.

Would the officer have been justified to use deadly force before being murdered? Deputy Riley was ambushed and never had a chance to use deadly force.

Outcome for the cop-killer: Tate was captured and faces numerous charges including first degree murder.

Miscellaneous: For a perpetrator who murdered a deputy and went on a such a violent crime spree across state lines, there is remarkably little reporting on Tate’s criminal/drug/mental history.