Man Charged With Attempted Murder In Cop-Involved Shooting In Lombard

LOMBARD, IL — Multiple felony charges have been filed against a Chicago man in connection with a shooting incident that left a Lombard police officer injured and another suspect dead.

Anthony Brown, 31, of the 7500 block of S.Hermitage Avenue, was charged with attempted first degree murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm at an officer, aggravated battery and armed robbery with a firearm in connection with the Dec. 8 incident.

Lombard police were called to Pipes and Tobacco at 54 W. Roosevelt Rd. just after 4 p.m. for a report of an armed robbery in progress. When officers got to the scene, they say they saw Brown and Pierre Thompson fleeing the shop on foot.

Police say Thompson approached a squad car with two officers inside and used a gun equipped with an automatic switch to fire at the officers as they emerged, hitting one in the leg. Prosecutors say the officer then fired a shot at Thompson, which hit and killed him.

Thompson and the police officer were rushed to a nearby hospital, where Thompson was pronounced dead. The officer who was hurt is recovering from his injury, according to a news release.

Brown was arrested shortly after the shooting.

Related: Police Officer, Suspect Shot During Armed Robbery: Lombard Authorities

Police say an investigation led them to discover that Brown and Thompson went into the smoke shop wearing masks and showed a handgun while demanding an employee open the cash register.

Prosecutors say Brown and Thompson removed cash from the register and then led the employee to the back room, where they found the store's owner. Brown and Thompson are accused of forcing the employee and owner to get onto the floor, hitting the owner in the head with a gun and stealing both men's cellphones and wallets before. They are further accused of stealing $600 from a filing cabinet.

“We as a society must never normalize or accept the type of violent behavior alleged in this case. We should be outraged at allegations such as these, that two masked men robbed a business at gunpoint and then, without provocation or even a warning from officers, opened fire on the police officers. This behavior cannot stand and in DuPage County we will not sit idly by while criminals terrorize our communities," DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin said in a statement.

He added, "We will respond with every legal tool available to control violent crime and keep our businesses, their patrons and our communities safe. We are all very thankful that the officer involved is expected to survive his injury. He has a long road ahead of him and we wish him the best and thank him for his service."

Lombard Police Chief Roy Newton said in a news release, "Lombard enjoys an extremely high quality of life thanks to officers such as those who responded to the incident last Thursday. They put their lives on the line every time they put on their badge and it is truly unfortunate that one of our officers was forced to either return gunfire or be killed himself. No officer ever wants to be in that position. I am extremely grateful that the officer is expected to recover and on behalf of the entire Lombard PoliceDepartment, I wish him a speedy recovery and wish him well, physically and emotionally."

Brown is being held in DuPage County Jail without bond. He is set to appear in court on Dec. 27 and faces a maximum sentence of 125 years in prison if convicted.

The officer-involved shooting is currently being investigated by DuPage County's Metropolitan Emergency Response and Investigative Team's (MERIT) Public Integrity division.