Morning exchange of gunfire at Chicago police station leaves 3 officers and a suspect injured
CHICAGO — Three Chicago police officers and a suspect in a carjacking were injured in an exchange of gunfire outside a Northwest Side police station Thursday morning, apparently after the suspect concealed a weapon during his arrest, several sources told the Chicago Tribune.
The sources said the 25-year-old suspect, who had just been arrested and was handcuffed, opened fire on an officer who opened the rear door of his police vehicle when they arrived at the station to transfer him to a lockup.
That officer, a 16-year veteran, was shot under his chin and seriously injured, authorities said. He was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center. Three officers returned fire on the suspect, who was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he remained in custody Thursday.
Two officers who suffered minor injuries in the gunfire and a fourth officer who had chest pains were taken to Loyola University Medical Center, according to a spokesman for the Chicago Fire Department. The condition of the most seriously injured cop was not available and the other three were treated and released, police said Thursday evening.
Sources said as many as 60 shots were fired in the exchange of gunfire, which broke out in or near the station’s sally port, a pathway that is designated for police transports into lockup.
Details on how a suspect managed to hang on to a weapon during an arrest, which typically involves a search, will no doubt be central to the investigation into the shooting, which will be handled by the Chicago Office of Police Accountability. Chicago Police Department officials referred all questions to the agency, which investigates police-involved shootings and officer misconduct.
“COPA’s investigation into the use of force is already underway,” the agency said in a statement. “Responding COPA investigative personnel have begun reviewing body worn camera (footage) and gathering other evidence and relevant materials.”
No charges had been filed against the suspect as of late Thursday afternoon. According to court records, the man has been arrested numerous times on the West and Northwest sides.
Between 2012 and 2015, he was convicted in three different cases for felony drug possession and delivery. In 2016 he was convicted of aggravated assault after he drove away from police during a traffic stop and then, after getting stopped again, accelerated while an officer had reached her hand into the car — nearly driving over her foot.
He was released from the Pinckneyville Correctional Center less than four months ago after serving time on a gun conviction, records show. He pleaded guilty in 2018 to being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to five years in prison; with credit for good time and a year in county jail awaiting trial, he was paroled in April.
At a news briefing late Thursday morning, Chicago police Superintendent David Brown said the suspect was arrested earlier Thursday after police officers recognized a vehicle from a carjacking that occurred downtown on Sunday. He did not disclose where the arrest took place.
In his remarks, Brown described the suspect as a “violent” carjacking offender and noted the dangers officers face daily.
“I want to strongly emphasize the inherent danger that these and all Chicago police officers experience every day protecting the residents of Chicago,” said Brown, who asked for prayers for all the officers. “When they leave home, they leave their loved ones, and put these stars on and risk everything. They risk everything protecting all of us.”
Mayor Lori Lightfoot also asked for prayers. On Twitter Thursday she said, “Today is a searing reminder of the danger our men and women of our Police Department face every day they put on their uniforms and leave their homes,” Lightfoot wrote. “This is the sacrifice they make in order to serve and protect our city and fellow residents.”
The shooting comes during a particularly trying time for the department, which has faced the stress of the pandemic and local versions of national protests against police, not to mention a significant spike in violent crime in the city. Then, just this week, a high-ranking department commander died by suicide inside his police office by shooting himself in the chest.
As word of the Thursday shooting outside the police station spread, officers arrived at Illinois Masonic, where the officer who was most seriously wounded was being treated.
At 10:30 a.m., dozens of police officers and several police vehicles were stationed outside the hospital. Yellow police tape was set up around the “ambulance only” entrance at the intersection of Wellington and Mildred avenues.
Police officers directed people looking to visit the hospital around the perimeter.
The officer was assigned to the Grand Central District, according to police sources. City records show that he started working for the department in 2003.
He was one of three cops from the Grand Central District tactical team in 2016 who were credited with saving the life of a man who had trouble breathing. According to a WGN-Ch. 9 report, the officers were in the Humboldt Park neighborhood when they saw a small group around a man lying on the street.
The officers performed chest compressions on the man before paramedics arrived and continued lifesaving efforts, WGN-Ch. 9 reported. The man and his wife thanked the officers for their responsiveness, according to the report.
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(Chicago Tribune’s Rosemary Sobol, Madeline Buckley and David Heinzmann contributed to this report.)
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