Illinois police officer shoots suspect during traffic stop of reported stolen vehicle

A Carlinville police officer shot a man who allegedly pointed a gun during the stop of a reported stolen vehicle on Sunday, authorities said.

The suspect suffered life-threatening injuries and the officer was not injured, according to a news release from the Carlinville Police Department.

Just prior to the shooting at 5:44 p.m., the department received a notification on a license plate reading system that a suspect “entering Carlinville may be armed and dangerous in a stolen vehicle,” the news release stated.

“The suspect was stopped at the Carlinville Area Hospital parking lot.”

During this traffic stop in the 20700 block of North Broad Street in the Macoupin County town, the suspect allegedly pointed a gun at the Carlinville officer who then fired his service weapon, according to a news release from Illinois State Police.

Since this is an officer-involved shooting, the Carlinville Police Department requested assistance from Illinois State Police.

No other information about the shooting has been released.