Chicago man faces attempted murder charges after allegedly shooting police officer in University Village
CHICAGO - A Chicago man faces attempted murder charges after allegedly shooting a police officer on the Near West Side Friday.
Jalen Vales, 27, has been charged with two felony counts of first-degree murder, one felony count of armed habitual criminal and one felony of aggravated battery to a peace officer.
On Friday, officers responded to a call of a domestic disturbance around 8:27 a.m. in the 1300 block of West Taylor Street.
Officers were getting off an elevator when a gunman started shooting, striking one police officer several times, according to CPD Supt. David Brown.
He was transported to Stroger Hospital in serious condition with multiple gunshot wounds. He is a 15-year veteran of the force.
Chicago police officers did not return fire, Brown said.
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A dispatcher told responding officers that a 911 caller’s "daughter is texting her that the live-in boyfriend beat her up. The offender is known to carry a gun."
"Shots fired! shots fired! Officer down!" an officer called in.
"We’ve got an active shooter over here," another officer said over the radio.
A dispatcher radioed other officers in the area, "We’ve got an officer down. They’re asking for an ambulance. "Also, there’s a domestic battery there. They responded to a domestic battery there and now there’s a 10-1," or a call for an officer in danger.
Asked whether the officers had followed procedures for safely approaching the suspect, Brown said the officers were fired on the moment they stepped out of the elevator.
"They were ambushed. This wasn’t a matter of police tactics," Brown said. "They were ambushed, clearly. The offender had intentions to harm them,… the best laid plans don’t account for being ambushed by someone who’s intending to harm you as soon as you get off an elevator."
Minutes after the shooting, over a dozen officers converged on a man seeing lying shirtless on the ground with his hands on his head, according to video from the scene.
Vales suffered an injury to his wrist, but Brown gave no other details.
Brown said the Vales is a "convicted felon."
No additional information is available at this time.