Afternoon Edition: July 30, 2020

Good afternoon. Here’s the latest news you need to know in Chicago. It’s about a 5-minute read that will brief you on today’s biggest stories.

This afternoon will be cloudy with a high near 81 degrees. Tonight will see a low of 68 degrees. Tomorrow: Sunny skies and a high around 80.

Top story

Prisoner opens fire at NW Side police station, with 3 cops wounded; prisoner shot several times

Chicago police officers gather outside the 25th District police station after at least three officers were wounded there this morning. | Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Sun-Times

A carjacking suspect being transported in a police wagon to the 25th District police station at Grand and Central opened fire this morning when the doors were opened, wounding three officers, one seriously, sources said.

The prisoner, in turn, was shot multiple times outside the police station, 5555 W. Grand Ave., sources said.

One officer was shot in the neck and is in serious condition. Two officers suffered less serious wounds. One was shot in his protective vest, but the bullet didn’t penetrate, while the second was wounded in the hip. Two other officers were taken to the hospital for chest pains, Supt. David Brown said. The prisoner’s condition was unknown.

It’s unclear how the prisoner had a gun, since he should have been searched before he was placed in the police wagon. That question is certain to be a focus of the ongoing investigation.

The prisoner was handcuffed in front and began shooting in the station’s sally port, a secure interior area where prisoners are transported from police vehicles to inside the station, according to a source. The source said the shooter appears to have been cuffed from behind when he was arrested, but managed to get his cuffed hands in front of his body during his transport to the station.

Brown said the shooting happened about 9:40 a.m. and involved a suspect in a carjacking. The superintendent talked to reporters briefly outside Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where the most seriously wounded officer, a patrol officer in the 25th District who’s been with CPD 17 years, was taken. Surgeons were working there to stabilize him.

Four other officers were taken to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood. The suspect was taken to Stroger Hospital, Brown said.

“I ask everyone in our city to join me in praying for the Chicago police officers shot and injured this morning in the line of duty. We’re continuing to monitor the situation and will provide updates as they become available,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot tweeted.

“Today is a searing reminder of the danger our men and women of our police department face every day they put on their uniforms and leave their homes. This is the sacrifice they make in order to serve and protect our city and fellow residents.”

Read the full staff report on this developing story here.

More news you need

1. Illinois’ top House Republican, Jim Durkin, has joined the growing list of state lawmakers calling for House Speaker Mike Madigan to immediately resign. Durkin said Madigan is “unable to execute his responsibilities” and that he will file a resolution to have the House vote on a new Speaker.
2. Gov. J.B. Pritzker warned Illinois is at “a danger point” in the battle against COVID-19 as public health officials announced another 1,772 new coronavirus cases today — the highest single-day tally since May when the virus hit its deadly peak. The rise is part of a disturbing trend that’s seen July’s daily case average shoot up to more than 1,100, compared to 764 per day last month.
3. Ald. Ray Lopez reported a third instance of vandalism targeting his properties in Brighton Park today. The latest attack at his ward office comes less than a month after vandals broke a window at his home and torched a neighbor’s garage.
4. Former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain, 74, has died of complications from the coronavirus. It’s not clear when or where he was infected, but he was hospitalized less than two weeks after attending a Trump campaign rally in June.
5. A suspected serial killer in custody in Ohio has been charged with the 1997 murder of a woman at an abandoned truck stop near Illinois’ border with Wisconsin. Samuel William Legg III, 52, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 39-year-old Julie A. Konkol.

A bright one

Second e-scooter pilot set to launch in August

Scooters haphazardly dumped on the sidewalk, blocking bus stops, tossed into dumpsters and even occasionally perched in trees: We all remember what happened last summer when e-scooters were placed all over Chicago for the first pilot program. There was even a Twitter account, ChicagoScooterFails, dedicated to chronicling the absurdity.

But there’s a major change being implemented in the second pilot program, which launches on Aug. 12, that might make things a little less chaotic this time around: All scooters will be equipped with locks that require riders to lock the scooter to a fixed object — such as a bike racks, street signs or retired Chicago parking meters — in order to end their trip.

Another change e-scooter riders will notice is that the boundaries have been expanded to include nearly all parts of Chicago except the lakefront trail, The 606 trail and the city’s central business district, which includes the Loop.

The upcoming pilot will distribute up to 9,999 scooters across the city from three different companies: Bird, Lime and Spin, city officials announced today.

For more info on the pilot program, read Mitch Dudek’s full story.

From the press box

Six games into the 2020 season, the White Sox are in an all-too-familiar place: the bottom of the standings, looking up at their AL Central competition. Manager Rick Renteria isn’t panicking yet, but their starting pitching needs to improve in a hurry to turn around the season.

The Blackhawks, two days away from their playoff opener against the Oilers, also got a bit of encouragement last night from Corey Crawford’s quiet, 11-of-11 effort in an exhibition against the Blues. Crawford may be the team’s most important player entering the series against Edmonton.

Your daily question ☕

With the second pilot program set to launch soon, what do you think of e-scooters in Chicago?

Email us (please include your first name and where you live) and we might include your answer in the next Afternoon Edition.

Yesterday, in honor of National Chicken Wing Day, we asked you to share your favorite place to get chicken wings. Here’s what some of you said...

“DAK Korean wings on Granville in Edgewater. They are out of this world!” — Susan Swann

“In Chicago definitely Harold’s. But I’m in Texas now, so here it’s Bone Daddy’s. They have the best smoked wings ever.” — Tauron Butler

“Baba’s lemon pepper on the South Side!” — Lakisha Barrone

“Output Lounge on Grand and Wood. Their Hot Chipotle Ranch, High Output and Honey BBQ sauces are all awesome!” — Javier Gomez Jr.

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