Officer killed in GameStop shooting honored in plaque dedication

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The men and women in blue, city leaders and family remembered Sgt. Robert Wilson III Wednesday during a plaque dedication outside the 22nd district.

The father of two was killed while shielding customers during a March 5 gunfight inside a GameStop.

It's a day Commissioner Charles Ramsey said he will never forget.

"But it was also a day when I witnessed one of the most heroic acts I've ever seen in 47 years of policing," said Ramsey.

Grandmother Connie Wilson, who raised Robbie since he was two, said Ramsey's words reflected her grandson's true character.

"Well he couldn't have said it in a better way, you know, the way he phrased it and what he said, and I know it was coming from his heart," said Wilson. "He knew what type of officer Robbie was."

Plaque dedications help keep Robbie's memory alive, but turning the page in the book of life is a struggle.

"Ain't a day go by I don't think about him. Ain't a day that go by, my eyes fill up with tears, and then it passes," said Connie.

Wilson's best friend, Michael Rivera, spoke outside the 22nd district. The two went to the academy together where they learned the 3 c's: confidence, courage and caring.

"Rob gives me the courage to be able to stand in front of you and open my heart, and share with you the legend of the man he was," said Rivera.

Connie's home is adorned with awards and medals, many from Wilson's days as a youngster in West Philadelphia.

One that she won't be able to hang will be on a bustling sidewalk to serve as a reminder of the courage her grandson displayed that cold, snowy day in March.

"I hope they remember what he did, the sacrifice that he gave," said Connie. "I mean he gave his life."

Wilson is survived by his two sons. The day he died he was inside GameStop to buy his son a new game for good grades.