What to Know
- A Chicago police officer and two hospital employees died in a shooting Monday at Mercy Hospital. The suspected shooter also was killed.
- The incident began with an altercation in the hospital parking lot, police said, where the suspect fatally shot a doctor he knew.
- The gunman ran into the hospital. A pharmacist was shot in an elevator, and the officer was struck in the exchange of gunfire.
Autopsy results were released Tuesday for the victims and gunman killed in a shooting at Chicago's Mercy Hospital.
According to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office, Chicago Police Officer Samuel Jimenez died from a gunshot wound to the neck. Two employees at the hospital - a doctor and pharmacist - each died of multiple gunshot wounds, autopsies showed.
The suspected gunman, Juan Lopez, died of a gunshot wound to the abdomen and a self-inflicted wound to the head, the medical examiner's office said.
Lopez, 32, is accused of opening fire at the hospital, killing Dr. Tamara O'Neal in the parking lot before entering the building and fatally shooting a pharmacist, Dr. Dayna Less, and Officer Jimenez.
Jimenez was hailed a hero for running toward gunfire, helping to prevent the loss of more lives in the tragic shooting.
O'Neal, 38, was remembered by loved ones as a dedicated emergency room physician who "loved helping people" and "had a heart of gold."
Less had recently recovered from a debilitating disorder and dedicated her life to serving others.
"She loved helping others. She was good at her job because it helped others. She was forged in her own adversity which made her the strongest person I will ever know," her family said in a statement.
Chicago police Supt. Eddie Johnson said the shooting - in which the gunman was also killed - began at around 3:28 p.m. in the parking lot, then continued inside the hospital lobby.
Local
O'Neal was leaving after her shift, according to the hospital, when Johnson said she and Lopez got into a verbal altercation in the parking lot.
A friend tried to intervene in the argument, Johnson said, and Lopez lifted his shirt and displayed a handgun. The friend fled into the hospital, and witnesses said they saw Lopez shoot O'Neal at least six times in the parking lot.
As police arrived at the scene, Johnson said Lopez shot at officers before they exited their cars, and then ran into the hospital, where he and police engaged in an exchange of gunfire.
During the exchange, Less was exiting an elevator when she was fatally shot, Johnson said.
Jimenez, 28, was also shot in the exchange and taken in critical condition to the University of Chicago Hospital. He later died from his wounds.
"This tears at the soul of our city," Mayor Rahm Emanuel said. "It is the face and the consequence of evil."
The incident remained under investigation Tuesday. The hospital said it plans to evaluate its security protocol once the investigation is complete.
