CHICAGO, IL—On Monday, August 31, on-duty Chicago police officers shot a male suspect after their squad car was struck by gunfire. On September 1, the Chicago Police Department announced that officers were driving in their squad car at around 10:45 p.m. Monday, responding to a call about a suspicious person.
Upon approaching the scene, officers saw five people standing on the sidewalk in a neighborhood on Chicago’s West Side, when the suspect opened fire on the officers as they got out of their vehicle.
Officers opened fire back in the direction of the suspect in self-defense. The suspect, identified as Daniel O’Shea, was struck by an officer’s bullet and taken to a local hospital in critical condition, where he later passed away, Chicago’s deputy police chief told the Chicago Sun-Times.
Authorities noted that none of the officers were injured during the incident and that the suspect’s gun has been recovered. At the scene, police also took two other suspects into custody, while two others fled the scene.
The incident is still under investigation by detectives, and those who have been charged are expected to go on trial in the near future.
Amid a rising crime rate in Chicago, there have been more incidents of officers becoming targets during shootings. On August 31, Chicago Police Superintendent David O. Brown announced in a tweet that 10 Chicago police officers have been struck by bullets in 2020, and 41 have had shots fired at them.
“Just this year, 10 Chicago Police officers have been shot and 41 officers have had shots fired at them. Let’s not lose sight of the courage our officers show as they risk their own safety to protect this city,” Brown’s tweet reads.
