Three Chicago cops and a federal marshal opened fire while serving an arrest warrant in West Garfield Park Friday morning, seriously wounding a man who is facing more than a dozen counts of aggravated sex assault and had cut off his electronic monitoring bracelet.
The suspect, 33, was in a black Jeep when he was confronted by federal marshals and Cook County sheriff’s deputies around 9:40 a.m. in the 100 block of South Kilpatrick Avenue, Chicago Police Supt. David Brown told reporters.
They approached the Jeep and ordered the man to get out, but he refused, Brown said. They then called for help from Chicago police.
The suspect displayed a gun and three police officers and a marshal opened fire, Brown said. The man was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where fire officials said he was in grave condition. His name was not released.
A handgun was recovered at the scene, police said. Brown said it was unclear if the man had fired shots at the officers.
No officers were shot, but five police officers were taken to hospitals for evaluation, he said. Brown did not elaborate.
The suspect was wanted on 15 counts of aggravated sex assault with a firearm, and had violated his electronic home monitoring by cutting off the bracelet, Brown said. A warrant for his arrest was filed on Dec. 4, he said.
Brown used the incident to repeat once again his claim that the Cook County courts system is fueling gun violence by releasing on electronic monitoring people charged with violent crimes.
“If this debate that we’re having saves one life, then all the criticism is worth it,” said Brown, who has been accused by the county’s chief judge and prosecutor for mischaracterizing the monitoring program.
“I’ve mentioned that 7-year-old Jaslyn Adams was killed by someone on electronic monitoring,” Brown said, referring to a shooting at a McDonald’s drive-thru earlier this year. “We are advocates for the victims.”
The U.S. Marshals Service was leading the investigation into Friday morning’s shooting. The Civilian Office of Police Accountability was investigating the three Chicago officers’ use of force.