A Chicago police officer was shot Thursday when he confronted an alleged shoplifter who shot a security guard at a Brighton Park hardware store.
The alleged gunman, who ran after shooting the guard and police officer, was killed later in a shootout with other officers, police said.
The officer was the fourth Chicago police officer to be shot in less than two weeks.
During a news conference outside Mount Sinai Hospital, Chicago Police Supt. David Brown said the officer appeared to be in “good spirits” after suffering a gunshot wound to the shoulder that wasn’t thought to be life-threatening.
The suspect was pronounced dead at a hospital, Brown said.
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About 4 p.m., a loss prevention officer at a Home Depot store in the 2400 block of West 46th Street saw a suspect shoplifting, Brown said. During an ensuing struggle, the suspect shot the security guard, who was in grave condition. The guard, who was in his early 50s, was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago fire spokesman Larry Merritt said.
When the suspect fled, officers pursued and one officer was shot, Brown said. The officer was being treated at Mount Sinai, though Brown declined to release his name or any information about him.
Following that shooting, Brown said other officers continued to pursue the suspect. The suspect was then shot and killed during a shootout with police, Brown said.
At the scene of the shooting, police officers blocked off a residential stretch of 46th Street between Western Avenue and Rockwell Street as residents congregated behind the police tape to catch a glimpse of the investigation and exchange rumors over the sound of helicopters.
Nearby, officers taped off sections of the Home Depot parking lot across Western Avenue and laid down evidence markers near the entrance.
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In the last two weeks, three other Chicago cops have been wounded in shootings.
Last Saturday, an officer was shot in her hand during a SWAT standoff in the Austin neighborhood by a man who allegedly wanted to “lure” cops to the area. On March 15, an off-duty officer was ambushed by two gunman while stopped in traffic in the Calumet Heights neighborhood.
And a day before that, an on-duty CPD sergeant was shot while standing in the parking lot of the Gresham District police station, at 7808 S. Halsted St. The bullet grazed his chin, and he was released from a hospital later that day.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
