A Chicago police officer and another person were shot and killed Monday night in a wave of “rapid fire” that erupted during a traffic stop in Chatham, police said.
The 26-year-old officer, Enrique Martinez, was pronounced dead at 8:14 p.m. at the University of Chicago Medical Center, just minutes after the shooting, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.
Martinez was a “hero” who was “working to make this city safer,” according to a Facebook post from the Fraternal Order of Police.
“Tonight, tomorrow and forever, we honor his sacrifice! Peace of mind, hero. We'll hold the line from here,” the rank and file union said.
During a news conference late Monday, Chicago Police Supt. Martinez “was a very proud, hard-working person who gave his life for this city,” Larry Snelling said.
The slain Gresham County officer had celebrated three years in office in December.
The attack occurred after officers stopped a car carrying three passengers around 8 p.m. in the 8000 block of South Ingleside, Snelling told reporters outside the University of Chicago Medical Center, where Martinez was pronounced dead.
Dozens of police officers stand vigil outside the University of Chicago Medical Center in Hyde Park, where a fellow officer injured on duty was transported.
Emanuel Camarillo/Sun-Times
One of the occupants of the car shot Martinez, Snelling said, noting that “it looked like a rapid-fire shooting.”
Martinez was hit multiple times. One of the car's passengers, whose identity was not revealed, was also killed by gunfire.
The shooter ran from the car after initially trying to drive away, Snelling said. He was arrested after a short chase and search of the area. The third person in the car, who was sitting in the back seat, was also arrested.
Police transported Martinez to Hyde Park Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, Snelling said.
Officers recovered a gun from the passenger of the car who was shot, Snelling said. Officers also found a semi-automatic weapon with an extended magazine at the scene.
Snelling said one of the officers fired, though it was not clear who. The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is now investigating the shooting, which was captured based on frantic police messages that were sometimes drowned out by screaming and radio interference.
“We are transferring one (police officer) to the University of Chicago; “He was injured,” an officer said. “Close the streets!”
Police told a dispatcher that the two surviving suspects attempted to flee in the damaged Ford Explorer, leaving the other suspect dead at the scene of the shooting. An officer said over the radio that the front seat passenger was armed with an “automatic weapon.”
A hoax shooting call came in minutes ago
Minutes before the shooting, a woman reported she shot someone who tried to break into her 2017 Kia Soul in the 8200 block of South Ingleside Avenue, two blocks south of the fatal attack on police. An officer later reported over the radio that the shooting was not “good-intentioned.”
The woman told the Sun-Times she falsely reported a shooting after 911 dispatchers made it clear that a car break-in would not warrant an immediate police response.
The 50-year-old woman said officers arrived within minutes of the false shooting report, but Martinez was not among them.
After a brief dispute when the officers realized no one had been shot, she watched them quickly walk away and suddenly heard screaming and “rapid gunfire.”
“Drop it!” The woman recalled the officers screaming repeatedly.
By late Tuesday morning, the building was quiet. A neighbour, who requested to remain anonymous, said there were “about 100 policemen” studying the matter for hours.
Another neighbor, 62-year-old John Wilson, spoke of the “wild” shooting and expressed his sympathy for Martinez's family.
“I feel sorry for them. He was just doing his job,” said Wilson, who has lived in the area for more than two decades.
“This tragic loss has a profound impact.”
On Monday night, uniformed officers gathered outside and at the hospital where Martinez was pronounced dead. They hugged each other, while others could be heard screaming.
Mayor Brandon Johnson told reporters that Martinez “courageously protected this city.” Johnson called on city residents to pray for his family and embrace the police department.
“This tragic loss has a profound impact; Johnson said the wound was severe. “The only way we can move past this tragic loss is if we put our arms around each other and recognize the value and courage of our police department, who put their lives on the line for us every day.
Supt. Snelling said it's impossible “to know what our officers have in store when they're out there trying to keep the public safe.” He noted that one of the suspects was under electronic monitoring but cut off his tracking bracelet.
“When we know we have repeat offenders, people who continue to offend, we have to stop that. We cannot allow people to continue to wreak havoc on this city, making people victims of violent crimes, robberies and shootings.”
“The trauma they inflict on the families and individuals they attack is something they will never be able to recover.”
Union president describes the shooting as a “worst-case scenario”
John Catanzara, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, said he has “become almost numb” to the violence affecting Chicago cops.
“It's part of the landscape, unfortunately,” Catanzara said.
He insisted that the video purporting to show the fatal encounter showed the fine line officers had to walk. In the video, an officer can be heard repeatedly ordering someone to “stop reaching.”
“You're going to get shot,” the officer says before a volley of gunfire erupts. This is another example of “how quickly things can go wrong,” Catanzara said.
“This is the worst-case scenario of what a lot of idiots in this city and across this country believe, where it seems like an officer needs to be shot first or shot and killed before it's appropriate to return fire,” Catanzara said.
He accused a group of government officials of “discrediting the police” and said they should not bother attending Martinez's funeral. The list included Mayor Brandon Johnson, Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx, Inspector General Deborah Weitzberg, COPA staff and anyone who voted in favor of the SAFE-T Act criminal justice legislation.
“The only consideration should be the family's wishes,” he said, noting that Martinez's family also serves on the police force. “There is no protocol that says the mayor must attend the funeral, no matter what this administration says and tries to push the family toward.
“If a family decides they don't want certain people there, that should be good enough.”
