- The suspects in the shooting were taken into custody.
- The officer who died was identified as a 29-year-old woman.
- She is the first Chicago officer to be fatally shot in the line of duty in almost 2 years.
One Chicago police officer was dead and another was fighting for his life Sunday after a shootout during a traffic stop, authorities said.
Eric Carter, the police department's first deputy superintendent, said the officers had stopped a vehicle occupied by two men and a woman late Saturday when the officers were fired upon. The officers returned fire, striking one person in the vehicle. That person was hospitalized in stable condition. One other occupant was taken into custody, and a search was underway for the third person, Carter said.
The officers were rushed to University of Chicago hospital, but a female officer succumbed to her wounds, Carter said. A weapon was found at the scene, he added.
"Chicago mourns the loss of one of its bravest and finest," Carter said. "And we have another office who is struggling and fighting for his life."
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Carter said a weapon was recovered at the scene and that the investigation into the shooting was continuing.
"It's just another example of how the Chicago police department and these officers put their lives above that of others to protect this city day, in day out," Carter said.
The female officer, whose name was not immediately released, was 29 years old, authorities said. She is the first Chicago officer fatally shot in the line of duty since November 2018. In that case, Officer Samuel Jimenez was fatally shot during a gunman's rampage at Mercy Hospital that also killed a physician and a pharmacist.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she had spent time with the family of the deceased officer, who she described as "very young on the job but incredibly enthusiastic."
"Our hearts ache for the loss of life," Lightfoot said. "This is a very tragic and sad day for our city."
The shooting rocked a department that has been the target of numerous protests in recent years amid claims of corruption and officer misconduct. Last month, city leaders approved a new layer of civilian police oversight – a seven-member Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability.
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