Authorities release name of gunman in Home Depot shooting that wounded officer
CHICAGO - A Chicago police officer was shot Thursday during a foot chase with an alleged shoplifter who shot a security guard at a Brighton Park hardware store.
The alleged gunman, who kept running after shooting the guard and police officer, was killed later in a shootout with other officers, police said. The Cook County medical examiner’s office identified him as 18-year-old Travon Chadwell, of Marquette Park.
The officer was the fourth Chicago police officer to be shot in less than two weeks.
During a news conference outside Mount Sinai Hospital, Chicago Police Supt. David Brown said the officer appeared to be in "good spirits" after suffering a gunshot wound to the shoulder. The wound wasn’t thought to be life-threatening.
Chadwell was pronounced dead at a hospital, Brown said.
About 4 p.m., a loss prevention officer at a Home Depot store in the 2400 block of West 46th Street allegedly saw Chadwell shoplifting, Brown said. During an ensuing struggle, Chadwell shot the security guard, who was in grave condition.
The guard, who was in his early 50s, was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago fire spokesman Larry Merritt said. In a statement, police said the guard was shot in his head.
When Chadwell fled, officers pursued and one officer was shot, Brown said. The officer was being treated at Mount Sinai, though Brown declined to release his name or any information about him.
Following that shooting, other officers continued to pursue Chadwell, Brown said. Chadwell was then shot and killed during a shootout with police, Brown said.
At the scene of the shooting, police officers blocked off a residential stretch of 46th Street between Western Avenue and Rockwell Street as residents congregated behind the police tape to catch a glimpse of the investigation and exchange rumors over the sound of helicopters.
Nearby, officers taped off sections of the Home Depot parking lot across Western Avenue and laid down evidence markers near the entrance.
In the last two weeks, three other Chicago cops have been wounded in shootings.
"I get questions all the time about what is the department doing about violence, what are we doing about the shootings, what are we doing about the homicides. What we are doing is risking our lives every day to protect this city," Brown said.
He noted that law enforcement officers across the country are "under attack," reflecting on the cop who was shot and killed responding to the recent mass shooting in Boulder, Colorado.
"But here in Chicago … it’s the idea that cops are putting their lives on the line every day and it seems that these offenders are acting with impunity," Brown said. "And yet with hyper-criticism, officers continue to run toward danger."
On Saturday, an officer was shot in her hand during a SWAT standoff in the Austin neighborhood by a man who allegedly wanted to "lure" cops to the area. On March 15, an off-duty officer was ambushed by two gunman while stopped in traffic in the Calumet Heights neighborhood.
And a day before that, an on-duty CPD sergeant was shot while standing in the parking lot of the Gresham District police station, at 7808 S. Halsted St. The bullet grazed his chin, and he was released from a hospital later that day.
"Amy and I are wishing a speedy recovery to the Chicago police officer shot while responding to an incident on the Southwest Side. While we’re relieved to hear he is in good condition, it is absolutely appalling that he was the fourth officer shot in two weeks," Mayor Lori Lightfoot said on Twitter.
"A security guard was also shot and is in grave condition. This evening’s incident is another sober reminder of the dangers our officers face to keep their fellow Chicagoans safe. Please keep these two in your prayers," Lightfoot said.