An off-duty Cook County Sheriff's deputy, age 31, was fatally shot early Tuesday in Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood, following a confrontation that escalated into an exchange of gunfire, according to Chicago police. The ABC 7 Chicago report indicates that the incident happened around 1:26 a.m. near a gas station in the 500 block of East 67th Street. After being shot in the chest, the deputy attempted to drive away from the scene before crashing into a pole at South Indiana Avenue, police said.
Details surrounding the shooting suggest that the encounter began when a male suspect approached the man at the gas station leading to an altercation. It is reported by Chicago Tribune, that both individuals produced handguns and subsequently exchanged gunfire. The deputy managed to quickly flee by car before striking the pole. He was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
The Cook County Sheriff's Office later confirmed that the man killed was indeed an off-duty deputy. "Staff are with the Deputy's family as well as with the Sheriff's Office Team... to provide support and resources as they navigate this senseless tragedy," the sheriff's office expressed in a statement. The suspect involved in the shooting is still at large, having fled on foot from the scene.
As the investigation continues, no arrests have yet to be made. Area One detectives are actively investigating the circumstances of the shootout, Chicago police confirmed.
