Officer Shot, Man Killed in Bucktown Monday Morning

An off-duty police officer on his way home from work early Monday was shot as he tried to stop a man from breaking into a Bucktown residence, according to police.

The officer, who was shot in the arm, killed his assailant, police said. The officer, 44, is in stable condition.

The shooting took place around 3:30 a.m. The man was “attempting to forcefully enter” a residence in the 1600 block of West Wabansia Avenue. Still in uniform, the officer identified himself and drew his weapon when he saw a dark object in the suspect’s hand, according to police. The object was later identified to be a screwdriver.

The suspect lunged at the officer, according to a statement from the Office of News Affairs, and the men struggled for the officer’s weapon. The officer was shot in the arm, police said. The officer then shot the suspect, who continued to fight, police said. The man died on the scene.

“He has some pretty significant injuries to his arm, as you can imagine,” Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy told the Chicago Tribune. “He’s in a lot of pain, but he’s going to be OK.”

Bobby Mitchell, an apartment building owner a few doors north of the shooting scene, talked to DNAInfo Chicago as he stood near the police crime scene tape Monday morning.

“This is very scary,” Mitchell said. “People read about Chicago being a war zone and I guess no one is immune to it.”