Chicago cops fatally shoot person during ‘exchange of gunfire’ near Irving Park bar

A person was shot and killed in an exchange of gunfire with Chicago police early Wednesday near an Irving Park bar after officers responded to a call that someone had aimed a gun at people, authorities said.

The shooting happened about 3 a.m. in the 3700 block of North Troy Street, according to Chicago police. Investigators haven’t determined the age or identity of the person who was killed.

During a news conference at police headquarters, Chicago Police Supt. David Brown told reporters the suspect returned to Christina’s Place, 3759 N. Kedzie Ave., after being kicked out. A security guard at the bar heard arguing outside, and the suspect pointed a gun at the bouncer and other people in the area, Brown said.

The guard walked back into the bar and called police, and officers responded and were pointed in the suspect’s direction, Brown said. That’s when the suspect ran toward an alley on Troy Street where there was “an apparent exchange of gunfire,” with two officers and the suspect all firing shots.

The suspect was the only person struck, the superintendent said. A gun equipped with an extended magazine was recovered.

Officers radioed that shots had been fired at police and called for an ambulance.

“We have one subject down in the alley; he still has the gun in his hand,” an officer told a police dispatcher. “We are not looking for any other offenders at this time.”

The officers involved in the shooting were taken to a hospital for “observation purposes” and were listed in good condition, Brown said. One of the officers involved in the shooting is a “veteran,” while the other is a probationary officer, he said.

Both will be placed on routine administrative duties for at least 30 days as the Civilian Office of Police Accountability investigates the shooting, Brown said. COPA released a brief statement saying its investigators were “responding to an officer-involved shooting.”

Investigators are reviewing body-worn camera footage of the shootout, according to Brown, who said police also expect to recover police POD camera video.

“From what we know now, based on looking at the body-worn camera [footage], the offender fired his weapon, and the officers fired their weapon,” Brown said, noting investigators have little indication of what led up to the shooting.