Man killed in Belmont Cragin shot himself — but was also hit with police gunfire, officials say

CHICAGO - A man who died Thursday afternoon after an encounter with police on the Northwest Side apparently suffered both a self-inflicted gunshot wound as well as one caused by police fire, authorities said.

The deadly encounter began as a traffic stop about 12:30 p.m. near the 6000 block of West Wellington Avenue in Belmont Cragin, Chicago police said.

A man stepped out of a vehicle occupied by a woman and children and “began exhibiting characteristics of an armed person” and started running, according to a police statement and department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.

Officers chased him on foot for a short distance and then saw him with a handgun, police said in the statement.

An officer fired shots, but police initially were unsure if the shots hit the man, police said.

Police said “it appears the man suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head,” according to their preliminary findings.

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The Cook County medical examiner’s office identified him as 31-year-old Mariano Ocon Jr. of Melrose Park.

He died on the scene in the 6000 block of West Wellington Avenue, police said.

Late Thursday, Guglielmi tweeted that the man was also shot by police.

“CPD Detectives & the Medical Examiner have determined that the individual from this afternoon’s shooting suffered a potential self-inflicted gunshot wound as well as a wound to the upper body, which was likely fired by police,” he wrote.

The medical examiner’s office has not yet determined the manner of his death, according to spokeswoman Natalia Derevyanny.

The fire department said it transported an officer for observation. Police said they also recovered a weapon from the scene.

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability was on scene of the shooting investigating the officer’s use of force, COPA said.