Patrolman Edward Wiershing died after falling into an unprotected opening in the rear of the G.R. Call building while on foot patrol in the Downtown West neighborhood.

   After reporting at a nearby callbox ten minutes earlier and checking the locks at the Baldwin Jewelry store, he was found at the foot of a darkened concrete stairway.

   Patrolman Wiershing was pronounced dead from a broken neck and fractured skull moments after arriving at Gary General Hospital.

   Another officer suffered serious injuries while on duty when he fell into the same opening a year earlier.

   Patrolman Wiershing was survived by his wife, son, mother and brother.

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This officer, discovered in 2020, has not been submitted for consideration as an eligible line of duty death to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund by the Gary Police Department.