Chicago police officer fatally shoots man in Old Town

A Chicago police officer shot and killed a man in the Old Town neighborhood Sunday morning, officials said.

The man, later identified by the Cook County medical examiner’s office as Antonio Calmese Jr., 20, was fatally shot by an officer in the 400 block of West Blackhawk Street about 5:05 a.m., Chicago Police Supt. David Brown told reporters.

He was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he died, Chicago Fire Department officials said.

A 34-year-old officer also was taken to Northwestern, where his condition was stabilized, fire officials said. He was not shot.

Before the shooting, two officers patrolling the area were flagged down by a person who said someone had pointed a gun at them, Brown said.

After the officers found the man who allegedly pointed the gun, a foot chase ensued and the officers temporarily lost sight of the man, Brown added.

When the man was found a second time, he fired in the direction of the officer, causing the officer to return fire, fatally striking him, according to a statement from the Civilian Office of Police Accountability.

Brown couldn’t say how many shots were fired.

A weapon and shell casings that didn’t match the officer’s weapon were recovered near the man, police said.

According to police traffic, a call for an “officer in distress” was heard over police radio communications, and an officer fired his weapon and struck the man shortly after the call was made.

Brown confirmed that a fatal shooting less than a mile away was unrelated to the police shooting.

Residents watched Sunday morning as more than a dozen officers continued to investigate the scene. Some going on morning walks were redirected by police when reaching the intersection of Blackhawk Street and Hudson Avenue. One woman was denied access to her car because the vehicle was inside the area cordoned off by police.

The 57-year-old woman, who didn’t want to be identified, said she was in bed at her apartment less than a block away when she heard “at least 12 shots.”

“It sounded like it was right outside my window,” she told the Chicago Sun-Times.

Cathleen Draper, 27, told the Sun-Times she woke up to one gunshot, then heard “four more, followed by another six or seven.”

“As I got up to my window, I saw a ton of cop cars coming,” Draper said. “I flew out of bed to see if I could see something outside because I was concerned someone was hurt.”