Chicago Police

Chicago Sees 2 Shootings Inside Police Stations in 2 Weeks

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A man was shot by Chicago police inside a CPD station Wednesday on the city's West Side after the man entered the facility, shouted anti-police sentiments and pointed a gun at police and civilian staff, officials say.

It's the second shooting inside a Chicago police station in two weeks.

According to officials, the incident occurred at 12:50 p.m. Wednesday inside the department's 10th District station at 3315 W. Ogden Ave.

At that time, authorities say a man walked into the station and began ranting about police. While shouting, the man displayed a gun partially wrapped in a plastic bag and pointed it at front desk staff members, who were made up of both civilian workers and officers.

“One of the officers immediately sees what appears to be a barrel of a gun protruding from the wrapped plastic bag that the offender is holding in his hand,” Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown said during a press conference Wednesday.

According to Brown, the man continued pointing the weapon at workers despite orders to drop it. Three officers then fired at the man, hitting him in the arm. He is currently being treated at a nearby hospital and in police custody.

"Civilians don't necessary sign up for this," Brown said. "So they are really shook up from this."

It’s unclear whether the gun was loaded, and investigators haven’t yet identified the suspect, who Brown said hasn’t been “very cooperative.”

The shooting comes just over a week after a different man was shot when he allegedly broke into another West Side Chicago police facility.

According to authorities, on Sept. 26, Patrick Donald, 47, climbed a five-story fire escape and entered an open door of the Homan Square police station. Police, who were holding a SWAT training exercise at the time, say Donald then grabbed guns he found on a table.

According to officials, police shot and wounded Donald after he aimed the guns at officers.

Donald was charged with felony counts of burglary and aggravated battery of a peace officer. During a court hearing, prosecutors said Donald sought to recover property, though he had never been arrested in Chicago and there was nothing there belonging to him.

Donald's attorney suggested he may have been suffering “a mental health episode” when the incident occurred. He was ordered held without bail.

Brown said there are heightened concerns “about access to our police facilities,” given the shooting at Homan Square, as well as the officers targeted by gunfire Wednesday and the “anti-police sentiment expressed by this particular offender.”

“We have to balance that with being obviously open to the community to come in, make reports and to come in and engage with our officers,” Brown said. “So it’s a balance we have to strike, but there’s some things we believe we can do to maybe strengthen some of our security measures.”

“There’s several things we can look at doing,” he said, noting that other police facilities across the country have glass barriers and elevated desks. “The Homan Square incident happened days ago. This just happened.”

The Chicago Sun-Times wire contributed to this report.

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