Suspect In Oakland Murder Shot And Killed By Officer in Chicago

CHICAGO, IL —A San Leandro man being sought by Bay Area authorities in connection to an Oakland murder and other suspected crimes, was shot and killed by Amtrak police Tuesday after he got off a train from California at Chicago's Union Station, authorities said.

Jamar Jason Taylor, 33, was confronted by Amtrak officers after he arrived in Chicago on a train from Emeryville, according to a statement provided by a railroad spokesperson. Taylor then took off running and later opened fire at the Amtrak police officers.

"One officer returned fire, striking the suspect," according to the statement. "The suspect was transported to a local hospital. The Amtrak employee was also transported to a local hospital with minor injuries."

Taylor, who was shot in the chest, was rushed to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, and later pronounced dead at the hospital, according to Chicago Fire Department spokesperson Larry Merritt.

Tom Ahern, a spokesman for the Chicago Police Department, said a semiautomatic handgun was recovered at the scene.

Ahearn, speaking to the Chicago Sun-Times said a law enforcement agency in California had alerted Amtrak Police that Taylor was headed to Chicago, and that he was wanted on multiple warrants, including one for a Friday morning murder in East Oakland.

Taylor, according to authorities, was a suspect in a fatal shooting of a 55-year-old Oakland man Friday in the 8800 block of International Boulevard. The victim's name was not immediately released.

According to the East Bay Times, the shooting was reported at about 9:20 a.m. Friday and officers found the man outside, bleeding and unconscious, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Oakland police officers had responded to a ShotSpotter alert and had recovered "clear high definition" video surveillance footage of Taylor and a "suspect vehicle," according to the document for probable cause.

The Chicago newspaper reported the probable cause was used to obtain a warrant, which shows Taylor was being sought for murder, illegally possessing a gun as a felon and a host of other allegations, and that he was on probation at the time of his death.

According to the warrant, Taylor already had one strike under California law, meaning he already had been convicted of a violent or serious felony. His previous convictions included making criminal threats, attempted grand theft person, second-degree commercial burglary and driving under the influence.

The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Chicago Police Department investigators conducted interviews at the scene of the officer-involved shooting at Union Station and are working jointly with Amtrak police on the investigation.

However, it remains unclear why Amtrak officers were given the responsibility of intercepting a felon wanted for murder. The newspaper reported that the U.S. Marshals Service typically assists state and local agencies in apprehending violent fugitives.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals said the agency was not involved in the operation.