A Chicago police officer shot and killed a man who was attempting to flee in a stolen vehicle during a struggle with officers Tuesday night, authorities said.
Tactical officers with the Lincoln District (20th) were conducting an investigation on a stolen sedan found parked and unoccupied in the 5700 block of North Washtenaw Avenue in the West Ridge neighborhood shortly before 10:30 p.m., when a dark-colored sedan with two men and a woman pulled alongside the stolen vehicle, Chicago police said in a statement.
As the two men attempted to enter the stolen vehicle, the tactical officers approached. One of the men fled on foot, while the second man returned to the driver’s side of the awaiting sedan, police said.
The officers ordered the man to exit the vehicle, but he refused and a struggle ensued as they attempted to remove the man from the driver’s seat, police said.
During the struggle, the man accelerated, dragging one of the officers, police said. That’s when the other officer discharged a weapon, striking the man in the head. The stolen sedan collided with another parked vehicle, police said.
Medical help was rendered to the man and paramedics arrived at the scene to treat him. He was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The woman was taken into custody, and two firearms were recovered at the scene, police said.
The officer suffered minor injuries and was taken to an area hospital for treatment, police said.
Authorities did not publicly release the man’s identity, but identified him as a 20-year-old man who lived on the city’s Northwest Side. An autopsy confirmed that the man died from a gunshot wound to the head and his death was ruled a homicide, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
The police’s investigative response team and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability are investigating the shooting. The officers involved will be placed on routine administrative duties for a minimum period of 30 days, police said.
