LaRoyce Hawkins to Exit Chicago P.D. as Series Regular After Season 14 Opening Episodes

Another familiar face is preparing to leave the Intelligence Unit. 

According to Deadline, original Chicago P.D. cast member LaRoyce Hawkins will depart the NBC drama as a series regular during Season 14, bringing an end to a remarkable run that has spanned the show's entire history.

Fortunately for fans, Kevin Atwater won't be getting a tragic sendoff. Hawkins is expected to appear in the first two or three episodes of the new season before the series wraps up his storyline. Based on where Season 13 left things, Atwater's exit will likely be a happy one. After learning that his long-distance love interest, Officer Tasha Fox, is expecting their child, it appears the longtime officer will leave Chicago to begin the next chapter of his life with his growing family.

With Hawkins' departure, Chicago P.D. is already searching for its next addition. Reports indicate the series is casting a new Black police officer described as an "agent of chaos," suggesting the Intelligence Unit could be getting a very different personality to shake up the squad. The exit also continues a period of major cast turnover for the long-running procedural following the departures of Jesse Lee Soffer and Tracy Spiridakos in recent seasons.

It's always difficult to see an original cast member leave, especially someone like Atwater, who quietly became one of the emotional anchors of the series over the past 13 seasons. If this truly is the end of his journey, at least it sounds like he'll receive the happy ending he deserves rather than becoming another casualty of the job. Chicago P.D. returns for Season 14 on Wednesday, October 7.

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