San Jose Police Sergeant Christopher Shimek
Lynn Polinsky Shimek's life has been stolen in her soon-to-be-ex husband's murder suicide. Her husband, San Jose police sergeant Christopher Shimek, didn't let Lynn have what she wanted --
Condolences to all who loved them.
...Lynn Shimek, 43, told a close circle of friends that she was unhappy and she wanted to leave... "She just wanted to be free and live her life without feeling like she was always being watched"...
FROM A FACEBOOKCOMMENT:
"Another long day, mourning the loss of two wonerful people, Lynn and Chris Shimek... I can hear Lynn's laugh now, it was soooo contagious. Oh Lord, I lift their two boys up to you... may you surround these boys with your grace and give them the strengh they will need to get through the days ahead. I also lift up both families and all of the friends who have been affected by this tragedy. There are so many people trying to come to terms with the loss. Lord hear my prayer."
Lynn joined the Derby Girls about a year ago, and she was one of the sweetest people on their team. "The South County Derby Girls will have a fundraiser on Dec. 11 to raise money for the Shimek children, and to educate attendees about domestic violence prevention... Dec. 11, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. -Where: Dutchman’s Pizza, 6940 Chestnut St... A trust fund has also been setup by the Shimek children's aunt, Valerie Roberts. Those interested in donating can make checks payable to Valerie Roberts, 1821 South Bascom Ave., PO Box 217 Campbell, CA 95008."
APPARENT MURDER-SUICIDE IN GILROY SUNDAY NIGHT
Gilroy Dispatch
By Blair Tellers
November 29, 2011
[Excerpts] Neighbors in a manicured neighborhood off Santa Teresa Boulevard were "shocked" Monday morning after San Jose police sergeant Christopher Shimek apparently killed his wife, then turned a gun on himself Sunday night. The bodies of Lynn Shimek, 43, and her husband Christopher Shimek, 51 - a San Jose police sergeant of 16 years - were found by Gilroy police officers around 9:39 p.m. Sunday inside the couples' two-story home on the 9400 block of Rodeo Drive in Gilroy. The discovery was made following a welfare check requested by friends and family... [Full article here]
"...Lynn also has a business website
called "Amazing Face Paintings..."
FROM FACEBOOK COMMENT:
"We miss you so much, Lynn.
We can't believe you're gone."
FACEBOOK PAGE FOR LYNN:
"We will miss you Lynn.
It's not fair that this happened
to such a beautiful person,
inside and out."
POLICE SGT. MURDERS WIFE, COMMITS SUICIDE IN GILROY
KSBW
By Amy Larson
November 28, 2011
[Excerpts] ...A veteran police officer murdered his 43-year-old wife before turning the gun on himself inside their Gilroy home... Christopher Shimek, 51, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at 9:40 p.m. Sunday, Gillio said.. His wife, Lynn Polinsky-Shimek, was also found dead. Shimek was a San Jose Police Department sergeant... He worked in the traffic division and had never shown signs of trouble, San Jose police said... Family and friends became worried and asked authorities to check on them. The couple's two children, ages 13 and 19, were not home when the murder-suicide happened,... Police did not release how the police sergeant murdered his wife... The police sergeant had a history of domestic violence. "In March 2007, GPD responded to a call in which Christopher Shimek allegedly hit a stepson in a rage... Lynn Shimek did not want any further police action," [Gilroy police Captain Jim] Gillio said. In addition to being a mother of two, Polinsky-Shimek was an artist and competed on a women's roller derby team... [Full article here]
...Friends and family are planning a private memorial service for Lynn Shimek on Saturday at a winery in Gilroy. Private memorial services, for Chris and Lynn, are scheduled for Sunday afternoon in Campbell... And on Dec. 11, the South County Derby Girls, a group that Lynn Shimek had joined recently, is hosting a fundraiser and anti-domestic violence fundraiser at Dutchman's Pizza on Chestnut Street in Gilroy from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m...
APPARENT MURDER-SUICIDE IN GILROY SUNDAY NIGHT
Morgan Hill Times
By Blair Tellers
Monday, November 28, 2011
[Excerpts] ...Lynn also has a business website called "Amazing Face Paintings." It advertises her services as a licensed professional face painter who is available for bookings in Northern California... On Facebook, the South County Derby Girls have announced a fundraiser to support the stand against domestic violence, according to their post. "We will be raising $$ for the family of Lynn Shimek who was taken from us by the hands of domestic violence." Lynn Shimek was planning to attend the Derby Girls' "Stand Against Domestic Violence" event. [Full article here]
..."The services will be at 4pm on Sunday in Campbell and we will post additional information as soon as it's available...Those wishing to send flowers for the service (Campbell Memorial chapel): De Young flowers 408 378 1580..."
GILROY POLICE: SAN JOSE COP, WIFE DIED IN MURDER-SUICIDE
San Jose Mercury NewsBy Sean Webby, Mark Gomez and Lisa Fernandez
Posted: 11/28/2011
[Excerpts] On Sunday evening, Chris Shimek told his teenage boys to go grab something to eat. He wanted to talk to their mother alone. When they returned from an In-N-Out Burger, their father, a veteran San Jose police sergeant, was dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Their mother, Lynn, was dead, too, apparently strangled by her husband. Their parents were found by police officers in a master bedroom, sources close to the investigation said, with his hand in hers... Some friends said it came after years of possessive behavior by Shimek toward his wife of 15 years. "She wanted out," said Rhonda Harkins, a friend of Lynn Shimek's. "She told him she wanted a divorce about three weeks ago. He was not happy. She didn't deserve this. I never thought he would hurt her"... The Shimeks' marriage may have been in bad shape, but there were no outward signs the veteran officer was capable of domestic violence, police say.... "What makes this all the more difficult to understand is that he was so even-keeled. No one expected this," said police Chief Chris Moore. "Yet it happened. My main concern is that we don't see this happening again. These are very difficult times"... Lynn Shimek, her friend Tammy Drews and another friend had been at Rhonda Harkins' home having a few beers at 7 p.m. Sunday. About 8:15 p.m., Drews dropped Lynn Shimek back home at Rodeo Drive with a container of homemade turkey soup. Within the hour, friends said they started getting texts from Chris Shimek, including one that roughly said: I went too far. I'm sorry. Please don't let my kids in the house. One of the friends sent a text to Drews, telling her to get Lynn out the house. Drews said the friend, who she would not name, told her Chris Shimek sent a text that threatened his wife. Drews said she raced back to the Shimeks' house and knocked on the door. It was 9:15 p.m. The front door opened a bit, stopped by the chain latch. The family's dogs, Scarlet and Sheba, were sitting at the bottom of the stairs... She called police... The Shimeks' two boys, ages 13 and 19, are staying with a paternal aunt, friends said... Lynn Shimek, 43, told a close circle of friends that she was unhappy and she wanted to leave. Chris Shimek had been completely "obsessed with her and very possessive of her," Drews said. He pulled her phone records, checked her text messages, trolled her Facebook page and her friends' Facebook pages, and, once, even put a GPS tracker under her car, according to several friends. He never physically harmed her, friends said, and court records show no indication of domestic violence or restraining orders. Gilroy police reported that in 2007 they responded to a call in which the officer allegedly hit his stepson, "in a rage." No further police action was taken... "She just wanted to be free and live her life without feeling like she was always being watched," Drews said... Chris Shimek isn't the first San Jose police officer to be involved with deadly domestic violence. In 1997, Officer Tom Harris killed his wife, Judy,... [Full article here]
FULL OBITUARIES:
Morgan Hill Times
Monday, November 28, 2011
[Excerpts] Neighbors in a manicured neighborhood off Santa Teresa Boulevard were "shocked" Monday morning after San Jose police Sgt. Christopher Shimek apparently killed his wife [Lynn], then turned the gun on himself Sunday nigh... The couple has two teenage sons according to Sandra McCarthy, 50, a Gilroy resident since 1976 and friend of Lynn's for five years who described the wife and mother as "an amazing soul, very warm and extremely creative"... When asked if she believed the murder was premeditated, McCarthy maintained she was not at liberty to speculate, but reiterated, "the kids were not there"... On her MySpace page, Lynn described herself as an artist, face painter and mother of two. A business website, "Amazing Face Paintings," advertises her services as a licensed professional face painter who is available for bookings in Northern California. She was also handy with a with a pair of skates, lacing up with the South County Derby Girls and throwing elbows alongside Gilroy's rough-and-tumble roller divas. Lisa Wharton, the team's vice president ... described Lynn - a teammate of one year - as "the sweetest person. Always so happy, and so sweet. She had this light that just shined from her"... In honor of their former teammate, who ironically planned to attend the Derby Girl's "Stand Against Domestic Violence" fundraiser Dec. 11 at Dutchman's Pizza on 6940 Chestnut St., Wharton said a portion of proceeds raised throughout the day will be donated to the Shimek family. Patrons interested in supporting this effort should mention they're visiting on behalf of the Derby Girls' fundraiser. On Nov. 16, Lynn left a note on the event's Facebook page, indicating she was looking forward to the "Stand Against Domestic Violence" event. A string of comments has since amassed beneath Lynn's posting. "How ironic," one wrote. "So very, very sad." [Full article here]
San Jose Police Sergeant Christopher Shimek
...Chris Shimek had been completely "obsessed with her and very possessive of her"... He pulled her phone records, checked her text messages, trolled her Facebook page and her friends' Facebook pages, and, once, even put a GPS tracker under her car... Gilroy police reported that in 2007 they responded to a call in which the officer allegedly hit his stepson, "in a rage." No further police action was taken...
YOUTUBE VIDEO:
SERVICES SET FOR SAN JOSE COP AND WIFE, FUNDRAISER PLANNED FOR THEIR SONS
San Jose Mercury News
By Lisa Fernandez
Posted: 11/30/2011
[Excerpts] Friends of Lynn Shimek are doing what they can to provide for her two boys, left behind in the wake of a murder-suicide at the hands of their father, a San Jose police sergeant... Friends and family are planning a private memorial service for Lynn Shimek on Saturday at a winery in Gilroy. Private memorial services, for Chris and Lynn, are scheduled for Sunday afternoon in Campbell, a friend said. And on Dec. 11, the South County Derby Girls, a group that Lynn Shimek had joined recently, is hosting a fundraiser and anti-domestic violence fundraiser at Dutchman's Pizza on Chestnut Street in Gilroy from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The owner is donating 25 percent of all pizza proceeds to the Shimeks' sons, and the derby girls said they are donating 100 percent of what they earn off raffle items. Almost 200 people so far have signed up to attend on the "Lynn Shimek you will be missed" Facebook page. If anyone would like to mail money directly to the boys, checks can be made out to the "Shimek Children Memorial Fund" c/o Valerie Roberts and mailed to the UPS store, 1821 South Bascom Ave., P.O. Box 217, Campbell, CA 95008... [Full article here]
[police officer involved domestic violence oidv intimate partner violence ipv abuse law enforcement public safety lethal fatality fatalities murder state politics funeral department children orphaned]
On Saturday, January 14th, there will be an benefit auction held at the East Coast Face Painting Convention in Manchester CT. All proceeds will go to the trust fund set up for the Shimek boys. Anyone wanting to donate items can contact Kim Hatch at kimhatch2000@yahoo.com www.chitchattheclown.com Thank you.
ReplyDeleteAnne Quinton Young O'Dell:
ReplyDelete"As a retired detective sgt who specialized in DV at San Diego PD, here is my 2 cents worth. The cop may have been a "nice guy" to is friends and coworkers but he murdered his wife, therefore, he is a killer. Just as we would look at any other person who kills another! He joins the ranks of David Brame, Alex Alvarez, and all the cops who killed their wives'girlfriends and whose cases I have worked on in my career. The issue is power and control and possession. When she wanted to leave he disagreed. And for those of you who think he snapped...NOT SO. These guys do NOT snap. They do just what they want to do and that is what he did. The level of ignorance and denial in the public and police departments is still very high. There is so much more work to do and it is not done yet."
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mercurynews.com%2Fci_19425260%3Ffb_comment_id%3Dfbc_10150402205796801_19937021_10150405289046801&h=UAQGShZGH
As a former police officer with 11 years of law enforcement experience, I can tell you that many police officdrs ( Alot more than you can imagine ) have serious alcohol and DV issues.
DeleteAlmost all Major police Departments are willing to simply deny that their officers have serious issues and continue to allow these incidents to happen.
Maybe this could have been avoided if this officers had sought help. Maybe if the agency had expressed to its officers that they had programs/people in place to help them through difficult times.
A life was taken by a man who was afraid to ask for help for himself.
The department should be held responsible for incidents such as these.
Sadly, this will not be the last incident.
I pray that someone (high ranking) city official or Chief take the time to implement counseling and other assistance to the officers who suffer from depression/anger management or alcohol/drug related problems ---- STEP UP TO THE PLATE---
YOU have officers killing themselves!! ANd leaving a path of destruction along the way...
To "Anonymous Mar 13, 2012 01:50 PM",
DeleteYou say that he was afraid to ask for help and the department should be held responsible for that? I think the department becomes more liable if they don't OFFER help, or they knew about prior abuse and warning signs, but not liable for the pressure of wider police culture or his fear of what will happen to his career.
I can't imagine that SJPD doesn't offer services. Is that what you are saying, that they don't?
THE INGREDIENTS OF A TRAGEDY INVOLVING SAN JOSE COP AND HIS WIFE
ReplyDeleteMercury News
By Scott Herhold
Posted: 11/30/2011 08:52:17 PM PST
Updated: 12/01/2011 06:39:13 AM PST
[Excerpts] To most of us on the outside, every marriage has its mysteries, elements we don't understand. "What does she see in him?" we'll ask, shaking our heads in dismay. From the outside, the relationship between Chris Shimek and his wife, Lynn, looked as neat and durable as the home they occupied on Gilroy's west side... A few people have theorized that the veteran sergeant just snapped... I have trouble buying the idea there was no premeditation at all: Shimek had asked the boys to go out for food, which suggested he planned to confront Lynn. He later texted an acquaintance that he had gone too far -- but there was that final haunting tableau of the death scene: When cops arrived, Shimek's hand was entwined with his wife's, as if he wanted to make a final statement about his love... "The issue is power and control and possession. When she wanted to leave, he disagreed," commented one woman on the Mercury News website, identifying herself as a retired police sergeant who had investigated domestic violence in San Diego. "These guys do not snap. They just do what they want to do." Certainly you cannot forgive the consequences of the sergeant's actions: Two kids left without parents. A vivacious woman murdered. A family destroyed. A beleaguered police department thrown into deeper unrest... [Full article here]
there is a search going on for one of the family dogs who has been missing since this event and has been sighted in the area. Her name is Shiba. A FB page has been set up for information on the progress of finding her. If you're in the area-please keep your eyes open for a female Shiba Inu dog with a pink collar and check out the FaceBook page to see what she looks like and help in the search.
ReplyDeleteNew Post:
ReplyDelete[CA] HELP FIND MISSING California dog, Shiba. Looks like red fox. Lost after murder-suicide.
REMEMBERING LYNN SHIMEK: ‘MAKE THE LOSS MATTER’: Friends, family honor 43-year-old murder victim as ‘woman of grace’
ReplyDeleteGilroy Dispatch
Posted: Monday, December 5, 2011 5:56 pm
Updated: 3:32 pm, Fri Dec 16, 2011
[Excerpts] ...While the cause of Lynn's death has not been released, the GPD states Chris died "from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound." Private funeral services were held for the couple Sunday in Campbell. Law enforcement will not confirm circulating reports from various media outlets alleging Lynn may have been strangled, or that there were signs of a struggle in the couple's master bedroom.... The focus honed on Lynn: A "woman of grace" and "spunk" who loved God and rocking out on the dance floor; a "selfless" individual who connected with everybody she met; a gifted face painter whose bubbly personality is fondly reminisced in the wake of her passing... Gesturing to clusters of people who flocked around a table to sign their names in a guest book, longtime friend Ronda Harkins noted Lynn "touched all our lives." Harkins' cousin, Gus Tuomi of San Jose, analogized the attribute as "a jar of glitter." "That's the best way I can describe it," he said, linking arms with Harkins. "She touched so many of our lives in such a sparkly way. The world will be less without her"... The oldest Shimek son, 19-year-old Forest, described his mother as "a wonderful person who made me the positive person that I am today." Speaking into the microphone and glancing toward the sky, he added, "I love you, Mom"... In addition to face and body painting, Lynn enjoyed brewing her own beer and going dancing with her friends at local hangouts... Like others who depicted Lynn as a wonderful parent who doted on her children... Lynn was the kind of person who could make friends with anybody... [Full article here]