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A 17-year veteran officer with the Chicago police department is recovering after he was shot in the skull during a gun battle with bank robbery suspect Tuesday night.
The injured Chicago officer, 46, was in serious but stable condition with a skull fracture and blood on the brain, a hospital official said.
The “chaotic scene” began as a bank robbery in Des Plaines, a Chicago suburb, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson told reporters. One robber was captured by Des Plaines police but a second robber escaped, stole a car and headed toward Chicago, Johnson said.
Officers were able to track his movements and Chicago police officers were waiting for the suspect when he got off the expressway, Johnson said.
The 32-year-old suspect fired at officers, Johnson said.
Superintendent Eddie Johnson and Mayor Lori Lightfoot address the media at IL Masonic Hospital, where a Chicago Police Officer is being treated after being shot, while assisting Des Plaines Police and Illinois State Troopers after a bank robbery that occurred in Des Plaines, IL. pic.twitter.com/BUEFkc5YBp
Des Plaines police continued with the pursuit, which ended at a music store, Johnson said. The suspect and officers exchanged gunfire, and the suspect was shot and killed, Johnson said.
A 15-year-old bystander who was in the music store for a piano lesson at the time was shot in the arm and abdomen, Johnson said. The teen boy was hospitalized in stable condition, Johnson said.
The injured Chicago officer, who was not named, “has received over 100 awards from the department for his exemplary police work,” Johnson said.
“Our hearts are breaking as we’re reminded of the service and sacrifice our officers make every day to protect us and keep our communities safe,” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.
Tonight, our hearts are breaking as we’re reminded of the service and sacrifice our officers make every day to protect us and keep our communities safe. We’re monitoring the situation, and Amy and I are asking all Chicagoans to pray for the CPD officer who was shot this evening.
