Dolton mayor launches fundraising page for officer shot in Chatham

The mayor of south suburban Dolton has launched an online fundraising campaign for a police officer who was shot during an attempted robbery early Monday in the South Side Chatham neighborhood.

The GoFundMe page, launched Tuesday by Dolton Mayor Riley H. Rogers, seeks to raise $25,000 for the medical bills of Detective Darryl Hope.

Hope, a detective with the Dolton Police Department, had finished his afternoon shift and was returning home at 12:09 a.m. when two armed people ambushed him on the front porch of his home in the 7600 block of South Calumet, according to Chicago Police and a statement from Rogers on the fundraising page.

The robbers ordered Hope to step down from the porch before Hope drew his weapon, Rogers said. He exchanged fire with the suspects, and was shot in the wrist, abdomen and upper leg.

“During the gunfight, Detective Hope was able to return fire and it is his belief that he struck one offender,” Rogers said in the statement.

After the suspects ran away, Hope knocked on the door and told his wife he’d been shot, Rogers said.

He was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, in serious condition, according to police.

Dolton Police Chief Robert Collins said Hope remained hospitalized and was in good condition Tuesday.

“He and his doctors are discussing the next steps in his recovery,” Collins said.

Rogers said Hope remained in “serious but stable condition and is expected to go into surgery soon.”

No one was in custody Tuesday as Area South detectives continued to investigate.

“Detectives from the Chicago Police Department are doing a great job as they investigate this very serious violent crime, and they have some very promising leads,” Rogers said in the statement.