A 36-year-old female Chicago police officer was shot and killed in the line of duty Thursday night in the city’s East Chatham neighborhood after an “investigatory stop” led to a police chase, with several suspects in police custody.
The officer, a four-year veteran of the department, was the mother of a young daughter, Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling said during a press conference overnight. The identity of the officer was not immediately released.
“She was a mom, and there’s nothing like walking into a room and having to deliver this type of message to her mother and her very young daughter and the rest of her family,” Snelling said during the press conference. “No matter how old your children are, they’re still always your children, and for a mother to lose her daughter like that knowing that she was trying to do the right thing every single day, that she was protecting lives, that she was a hero, and she lost her life tragically doing the job that she loved. That was one of the things that her mother said, she loved her job, and the way that she worked.”
The events began about 9:50 p.m. in the 8200 block of South Drexel, Snelling said, as officers on patrol with the 6th District Tactical Team attempted to make an “investigatory stop” of a suspect believed to be armed.
The suspect then fled on foot into a nearby apartment, Snelling said, as police chased behind. When officers arrived at the apartment, they were confronted by another person inside, who pointed a rifle at officers. At some point during the encounter, an officer discharged his weapon, Snelling said.
The 36-year-old female officer was struck by gunfire during the confrontation, Snelling said, with officers transporting her to a nearby hospital. As officers were transporting her, the vehicle “malfunctioned” and caught fire, Snelling said, and she was transferred to another car.
The officer was later pronounced dead, police said. About 3 a.m., dozens of police officers and firefighters lined city streets as a procession took place from the hospital to the Cook County Medical Examiners Office.
“She had already processed two other guns working that day, “Snelling said. “She was a working police officer trying to keep the street safe. And she did great work. And if you talk to anyone on her team, they would tell you how great of a worker she was. This is the risk that our officers take every single day.”
According to Snelling, two people inside the apartment fled the scene, but were taken into custody a short time later. Snelling added that police have “several individuals in custody,” including one who police believe was on scene when officers were confronted inside the apartment.
Three weapons were recovered from the scene, Snelling said, but it wasn’t immediately clear how many armed suspects there were, or how many people fired weapons. Police and the Chicago Office of Police Accountability, which responds anytime an officer fires their weapon, were both investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“I want everyone to understand one thing, Snelling said. “Our officer that we lost tonight, this happens way too often. An officer, a young officer, 36-years-old and four years on the job. Who was working hard…these officers are out here driving down crime while putting their lives at risk. I want everyone to keep this officers family in your prayers and understand the risk that she took every single day when she came out to do her job.”
Snelling added that police were issuing a search warrant for the apartment, and the investigation was in its preliminary stages.
“We are we’re not going to release any information until we have all of the evidence and we can really decipher what occurred at that scene,” Snelling said.
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