Suspected kidnapper killed by Chicago police officer in Belmont Central

Chicago police shot and killed a man on the Northwest Side after an off-duty officer encountered two kidnapping victims who escaped their captor Monday morning.

The kidnapping victims were handcuffed together and running down the street around 6:45 a.m. near the 6200 block of West Grand Avenue, Chicago Police Sgt. Cindy Guerra said at a news conference Monday morning at the scene of the shooting.

An off-duty officer, who was driving at the time, pulled over his car and spoke with the two — a man and a woman in their 40s.

“He learned that they had been kidnapped and were being held against their will,” Guerra said.

The officer called for backup and uniformed police officers arrived a short time later, Guerra said.

The kidnaping victims, who were uninjured, told officers there was an offender in an apartment in the 6200 block of West Grand, Guerra said.

”The officers then proceeded to the apartment fearing there were additional victims and or possibly to locate the offender,” she said.

”Once inside the apartment, an armed confrontation ensued with the offender, causing the officer to discharge his weapon and strike the offender,” Guerra said.

One of the uniformed officers shot the man.

The two escaped while their captor was asleep, according to police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.

Guerra said police are not aware of any other kidnapping victims.

The shooting happened about 7 a.m. Neighbors said they heard four or five shots.

The suspected kidnapper, 41, was taken to Illinois Masonic Hospital where he was later pronounced dead, police said.

The offender’s weapon was recovered at the scene, police said.

”All the officers are fine,” Guerra said.

The kidnapping victims were taken Sunday night from the west suburbs, Elgin police said in a statement. They were apparently kidnapped in a carjacking in the 100 block of North Porter Street in Elgin, police said.

The kidnapping did not appear to be random, and the victims and kidnapper knew each other, Elgin police said.

”They seem to be OK. They’re shook up, but they seem to fine at this time,” Guerra said of the kidnap victims.

Chicago police personnel could be seen investigating on a back porch after an officer shot an alleged suspect inside an apartment in the 6200 block of West Grand Avenue, Monday morning, July 8, 2019. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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Chicago police personnel investigate after an officer shot an alleged suspect inside an apartment in the 6200 block of West Grand Avenue, Monday morning, July 8, 2019. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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Chicago police personnel investigate after an officer shot an alleged suspect inside an apartment in the 6200 block of West Grand Avenue, Monday morning, July 8, 2019. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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Chicago police personnel investigate after an officer shot an alleged suspect inside an apartment in the 6200 block of West Grand Avenue, Monday morning, July 8, 2019. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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Chicago police personnel investigate after an officer shot an alleged suspect inside an apartment in the 6200 block of West Grand Avenue, Monday morning, July 8, 2019. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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Crime scene tape could be seen outside a building after an Chicago police officer shot an alleged suspect inside an apartment in the 6200 block of West Grand Avenue, Monday morning, July 8, 2019. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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Chicago police personnel could be seen investigating on a back porch after an officer shot an alleged suspect inside an apartment in the 6200 block of West Grand Avenue, Monday morning, July 8, 2019. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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Chicago police personnel investigate after an officer shot an alleged suspect inside an apartment in the 6200 block of West Grand Avenue, Monday morning, July 8, 2019. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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Neighbors watch as Chicago police personnel investigate after an officer shot an alleged suspect inside an apartment in the 6200 block of West Grand Avenue, Monday morning, July 8, 2019. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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Glen Brooks, of the Chicago Police Department, looks on as Sgt. Cindy Guerra speaks to reporters after an officer shot an alleged suspect inside an apartment in the 6200 block of West Grand Avenue, Monday morning, July 8, 2019. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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Crime scene tape could be seen outside a building after an Chicago police officer shot an alleged suspect inside an apartment in the 6200 block of West Grand Avenue, Monday morning, July 8, 2019. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times

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A weapon was recovered at the scene of a police-involved shooting Monday morning in the 6200 block of West Grand Avenue. | Provided by the Chicago Police Department

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