CHICAGO – A suspect who was already in custody shot two Chicago police officers at a North Side hospital Saturday morning, killing one and critically wounding the other, authorities said.
“I’m sad to say that we’ve lost another officer in the line of duty and another officer who’s been critically injured,” said Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling.
What we know:
The shooting happened about 10:50 a.m. at Swedish Hospital in the 2700 block of West Foster Avenue.
Chicago police said a man in custody had been taken to the hospital for observation related to an unrelated incident when he used a gun to shoot the officers.
The suspect fled but was later taken back into custody. Police said the weapon was recovered at the scene.
Snelling said one of the officers, 38, was critically wounded and later died. The second officer, 57, is hospitalized in critical condition.
The officer who died was a 10-year veteran of the department. The wounded officer has served 21 years. Authorities have not released their names.
A spokesperson for Endeavor Health, which operates the hospital, said the campus was closed following the shooting. The spokesperson said the hospital was “not aware of any active threat” and that patients and staff were safe.
What they’re saying:
“We ask that you keep the families of these officers in your prayers. This is a lot to go through. These are the dangers of policing. This is a very, very and extremely dangerous profession, but officers go out there every single day and they do this work, knowing that when they go into these environments that they’re not safe, and that’s the work that they do,” Snelling said.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson also spoke about the shooting during a press conference Saturday afternoon.
“This is a difficult moment for our city, it’s a tragedy. Our officers stand in the way of harm every single day, risking their own lives and along with them risking their lives, they have family that expect them to come home,” Johnson said. “One of our officers will not be able to return to their family and I’m calling on the entire city of Chicago to pray for this officer’s family and that they heal from this tragedy. I’m also asking the city of Chicago to pray for one of our officers that is currently fighting for their life, is in serious condition. I want to thank our Chicago Police Department. For showing up every single day for the people of this city. I want to thank the city of Chicago for putting their arms around our officers.”
What we don’t know:
The suspect was initially taken into custody on suspicion of robbery, but officials have not released further details.
Authorities also have not provided additional information about what led to the shooting.
What’s next:
The investigationis ongoing and we’ll bring more updates to this story as they become available.