One person was fatally shot by Chicago police Sunday in the West Englewood neighborhood on the city's South Side, police said.
Around 4:40 a.m., police responded to multiple calls of a home invasion and reports of a person with a gun in the 7300 block of S. Paulina. Officers on the scene were met by an “armed offender,” according to a statement from News Affairs. Shots were exchanged, and the intruder was killed.
The man killed has been identified as 29-year-old Charles Smith of the 2100 block of West 77th St., according to the Cook County Medical Examiner. Autopsy results will be released Monday.
Police say a weapon was recovered and there were no injuries to officers.
The home where the shooting took place is well-known in the neighborhood as the childhood home of Chicago Bulls’ point guard Derrick Rose. Neighbors see it as a landmark of hope and promise on a normally quiet block in the South Side neighborhood.
Neighbors tell NBC 5 that a grandmother, her daughter, and young grandson currently live in the house.
“They're nice people from what I know. I've known them for about a year. Yeah, nice people,” said neighbor Richard Carter, who said he has seen them at nearby Murray Park. “It's crazy to wake up and see something like this,” he added.
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Chicago Police continue to investigate the incident, and though one of the possibilities is a domestic dispute, they still are not sure how it started.
“I heard that they were holding them hostage,” said neighbor Ronald Jenkins, “then I heard he was shooting at police and police returned fire.”
The Independent Police Review Authority, the agency tasked with investigating all police-involved shootings, did not respond to requests for comment.
