A robbery suspect being treated at Swedish Hospital shot two Chicago police officers who were guarding him on Saturday morning, then fled into the Lincoln Square neighborhood, according to multiple law enforcement sources. The gunman is now in custody.
Both officers, gravely wounded, were taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center. As CPD prepared to hold a press conference on Saturday afternoon, the department announced internally that one had died, a source said. The internal notification said the second officer was in critical condition. Here is what we have learned so far:
Shortly after 8 a.m., at least one man robbed the Family Dollar store at 3239 West Lawrence Avenue in Albany Park, according to a preliminary police report. Initial reports indicated that an offender displayed a gun, attacked a woman at an ATM, and fled with proceeds from the store.
Some of those proceeds were equipped with a GPS tracker linked to CPD’s intelligence command center, allowing the police to immediately track their location. Using the tracking data, officers located a suspect in the 3400 block of North Troy Street around 8:25 a.m. and took him into custody after someone from the store confirmed he was the robber, a source said.
Officers at the arrest scene said they never recovered a firearm from that suspect, but they did find a wallet belonging to a victim from Family Dollar.
After being detained, the suspect told officers he did not feel well, so CPD summoned an ambulance, which took him to Swedish Hospital for an examination, according to preliminary information. Two officers who accompanied the ambulance stayed with the suspect at the hospital. CPD radio transmissions indicate officers requested shackles, used to restrain leg movement, for the suspect.
Endeavor Health, which operates the hospital, said on Twitter that the suspect “was wanded upon arrival,” meaning searched for weapons using a handheld magnetometer, and “was escorted by law enforcement at all times.”
At about 10:50 a.m., the robbery suspect obtained a firearm, though where it came from remains unclear, and shot both officers who were guarding him, sources said. Completely naked, he then ran from the hospital carrying a firearm.
Some residents reported he tried to break into their homes as officers scoured the area, eventually locating him shortly after noon in the 2600 block of West Carmen Avenue, according to preliminary information. Investigators found a firearm at the arrest site.
The targeted officers are both men, ages 58 and 38. They joined the force in 2004 and 2015, respectively.
CWB Chicago will post a fully updated story after CPD’s press conference.
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 3:28 p.m. with information about CPD’s internal communication.
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