Chicago police shot and killed a knife-wielding man in the Loop this afternoon and accidentally struck an officer in the chest, but he was saved by his bullet-proof vest, police officials said.
The man, possibly an "aggressive panhandler," was brandishing a knife and two officers initially tried to subdue him with pepper spray, Supt. Jody Weis said. The man then grabbed an elderly man and one of the officers shot the man and also hit his partner, Weis said.
The unidentified man, in his 50s, was transported from 190 N. State St. and was pronounced dead at 1:09 p.m. at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, according to a spokesman from the Cook County medical examiner's office.
The wounded cop was also taken to Northwestern but did not appear to be seriously injured, according to fire officials. The bullet struck him in the chest area of his vest, Weis said.
The shooting occurred just before 1 p.m. outside the WLS-Ch. 7 studios near State and Randolph Streets, according to an officer on the scene. Witnesses said they heard as many as four or five shots.
A witness, Bobby Polk, said he saw the man holding an apparent hostage with "a butcher knife" to the person's neck.
"The policeman shouted 'Stop, stop,' but he didn't and that's when [the officer] shot him," said Polk, 20. The man was burly, had a white beard and looked disheveled, he said.
Another witness, Damir Dzhafarov, 26, said that just before hearing gunshots he saw the man on the north side of Randolph walking toward State with five officers trailing and surrounding him, their guns trained on him.
The man had his hands up "defiantly, not like he was surrendering," Dzhafarov said. "He constantly was saying you're going to have to shoot me, [expletive] you guys, stuff like that."
Dzhafarov did not see any other people being held with the man. He did not see the man holding any weapons. When the man reached State, he turned north. Moments later Dzhafarov heard gunshots in rapid succession.
"As soon as they turned the corner we heard the gunshots," he said.
Paramedics also treated another officer after he was hit with Mace and a woman for an asthma attack, fire officials said. Neither the Maced officer nor the woman were hospitalized.
Chicago Police News Affairs officer Laura Kubiak said calls of a shooting on the busy Loop street came in at 12:49 p.m.
Visit the Chicago Breaking News Center for updates on this developing story.
The man, possibly an "aggressive panhandler," was brandishing a knife and two officers initially tried to subdue him with pepper spray, Supt. Jody Weis said. The man then grabbed an elderly man and one of the officers shot the man and also hit his partner, Weis said.
The unidentified man, in his 50s, was transported from 190 N. State St. and was pronounced dead at 1:09 p.m. at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, according to a spokesman from the Cook County medical examiner's office.
The wounded cop was also taken to Northwestern but did not appear to be seriously injured, according to fire officials. The bullet struck him in the chest area of his vest, Weis said.
The shooting occurred just before 1 p.m. outside the WLS-Ch. 7 studios near State and Randolph Streets, according to an officer on the scene. Witnesses said they heard as many as four or five shots.
A witness, Bobby Polk, said he saw the man holding an apparent hostage with "a butcher knife" to the person's neck.
"The policeman shouted 'Stop, stop,' but he didn't and that's when [the officer] shot him," said Polk, 20. The man was burly, had a white beard and looked disheveled, he said.
Another witness, Damir Dzhafarov, 26, said that just before hearing gunshots he saw the man on the north side of Randolph walking toward State with five officers trailing and surrounding him, their guns trained on him.
The man had his hands up "defiantly, not like he was surrendering," Dzhafarov said. "He constantly was saying you're going to have to shoot me, [expletive] you guys, stuff like that."
Dzhafarov did not see any other people being held with the man. He did not see the man holding any weapons. When the man reached State, he turned north. Moments later Dzhafarov heard gunshots in rapid succession.
"As soon as they turned the corner we heard the gunshots," he said.
Paramedics also treated another officer after he was hit with Mace and a woman for an asthma attack, fire officials said. Neither the Maced officer nor the woman were hospitalized.
Chicago Police News Affairs officer Laura Kubiak said calls of a shooting on the busy Loop street came in at 12:49 p.m.
Visit the Chicago Breaking News Center for updates on this developing story.
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