One police officer was killed in the line of duty and another was critically injured in a shooting at a Chicago hospital by a suspect who was brought in to the emergency department, officials said.
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The shooting happened just before 11 a.m. at Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital in the Ravenswood neighborhood on the North Side of Chicago, where officers had transported a person for “observation,” Chicago Police Department Superintendent Larry Snelling said.
One of the officers was shot in the head, according to a Chicago Police Department audio recording.
“One was shot critically and was pronounced, the second officer right now is fighting for his life in the hospital behind us, and we ask that you keep the families of these officers in your prayers,” Snelling said.
One person is in custody and a weapon has been recovered, Snelling said. The investigation is ongoing.
The slain officer was 38 years old and a 10-year veteran of the department, Snelling said. The officer’s name was not released pending family notification.
The wounded officer is 57 and a 21-year veteran of the department, police said.
Endeavor Health said in a statement that a person in police custody was brought into the hospital’s emergency department for treatment at 9 a.m. and was “wanded” for weapon detection.
“The individual later fired shots at the law enforcement officers and exited the hospital building. He was apprehended and remains in custody,” the hospital said.
Snelling declined to detail why the suspect was transported to the hospital. But, he said often times when officers take someone into custody, “we want to make sure that if they they suffering from some illness or something of that nature, that we get them treatment.”
The hospital remained closed Saturday afternoon, but a lockdown was lifted around 2 p.m. local time, NBC Chicago reported.
No team members or patients were harmed, the hospital said.
Police audio recordings captured the law enforcement response to the shooting.
“I have everybody that I can have coming guys. I have everybody I can coming,” a police dispatcher said a recording.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson asked for prayers for the officers’ families and said, “today is a real 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,” he said. “One of our officers will not be able to return to their family.”
