Chicago police shot and killed a man on the Northwest Side after an off-duty officer encountered two kidnapping victims who escaped their captors Monday morning.
The kidnapping victims were handcuffed together and running down the street around 6:45 a.m. near the 6200 block of West Grand Avenue, Chicago Police Sgt. Cindy Guerra said.
An off-duty officer, who was driving at the time, pulled over his car and spoke with the two — a man and a woman who were in their 40s.
“He learned that they had been kidnapped and were being held against their will,” Guerra said.
The officer called for backup and uniformed police officers arrived a short time later, Guerra said.
The kidnaping victims, who were uninjured, told officers there was an offender in an apartment in the 6200 block of West Grand, Guerra said.
”The officers then proceeded to the apartment fearing there were additional victims and or possibly to locate the offender,” she said.
”Once inside the apartment, an armed confrontation ensued with the offender, causing the officer to discharge his weapon and strike the offender,” Guerra said.
One of the uniformed officers shot the man.
Guerra said police are not aware of any other kidnapping victims.
At a news conference Monday morning, police Supt. Eddie Johnson said the two people were being chased down the street when the off-duty officer saw them.
“The investigation is in its infancy, of course. We do know that two individuals were handcuffed together running down the street and they saw an off-duty police officer and told him what was going on. They were being chased by some individuals,” Johnson said.
The shooting happened about 7 a.m. Neighbors said they heard five shots.
The suspected kidnapper was taken to Illinois Masonic Hospital where he was later pronounced dead, police said.
”All the officers are fine,” she said, adding that a weapon was recovered.
The kidnapping victims were taken from a “surrounding suburb,” Guerra said, adding that the matter was under investigation and no further details were available.
”They seem to be OK. They’re shook up, but they seem to fine at this time,” Guerra said of the kidnap victims. It wasn’t known how long the pair had been held captive.
