Realizing that he has no way out after shooting Jamie Whelan, Kyle Wilkie attempts to kill himself. But as the OCCB needs Wilkie to shut down the revenge site for good, Whelan insists the suspect be treated first when medics arrive. He is later brought to the hospital where it is revealed that Whelan is paralyzed. After initially asking those around him to pull the plug on his life support, he later flatlines. Doctors and emergency workers are ultimately unable to save him, and he dies.
Though killing off beloved characters isn't the most common occurrence in the "Law & Order" universe, it's also far from unheard of. After George Dzundza, who played Sergeant Max Greevey in the very first season of "Law & Order," announced his intention to leave the series, writers wrote his character off by having Greevey shot and killed by a suspect in a murder investigation in the Season 2 premiere. Season 16 of the show saw Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Borgia (Annie Parisse) kidnapped, with her body discovered soon after. The decision to kill off Sergeant Mike Dodds (Andy Karl) in Season 17 of "SVU" was shocking, not just because it was unannounced, but because Dodds is the son of Deputy Chief William Dodds (Peter Gallagher).
