August 24, 2015

Memorial for fallen 22nd Police District officers unveiled

Statues of Officer Moses Walker Jr. and Sgt. Robert Wilson III were created by fellow Officer Jonathan Mangual

By Elisa Lala
PhillyVoice Contributor

Jonathan Mangual/Facebook

The memorial statues of Sgt. Robert Wilson III (above) and Officer Moses Walker Jr. were unveiled Saturday. The artist and creator, Jonathan Mangual, is a fellow officer.

A memorial site honoring two fallen Philadelphia police officers of the 22nd Police District was unveiled Saturday in North Philadelphia.

Officer Moses Walker Jr. and Sgt. Robert Wilson III were both killed in the line of duty.

Walker, a 19-year veteran officer, was killed in 2012 during a botched robbery attempt while walking to a bus stop after his night shift in North Philadelphia's 22nd District.

Wilson, an eight-year veteran of the force, was in a North Philly GameStop store in early March buying his son a birthday present when police say brothers Ramone Wilson, 24, and Carlton Hipps, 29, entered with semi-automatic guns and announced a robbery.

According to police, a shooting broke out between the two suspects and Wilson, who continued to defend the store's patrons, firing back even after being hit multiple times with gunfire. He died as a result of his injuries.

To honor the officers, fellow 22nd District Officer and artist Jonathan Mangual constructed realistic statues of the two men standing tall in full uniform and encased in glass.