A CHICAGO police officer was shot and killed with his own weapon after a suspected robbery outside a police station.
The 43-year-old was killed shortly before 4pm outside Englewood District police station according to the Sun-Times Media Wire. At least one fellow officer fired at the suspected robber and is believed to have hit him in the chest, but he was not fatally injured.
The dead policeman was named by the Chicago Tribune as Officer Thor Soderberg, a veteran of almost 11 years. It is thought the attacker grabbed his gun and turned it on the officer. The Tribune noted the area is rough, citing a resident who said the neighborhood is “wild.”
The slain officer was an academy instructor who volunteered his time by serving as a guide to a blind triathlete. “I’m still shaking,” said DePaul University Professor Mazen Istanbouli, the triathlete who was guided by Soderberg.
“It’s disturbing news. He was a great man. He exemplified the best police officer I have ever seen,” he said. Soderberg had been temporarily assigned for a week to work the street as part of a summer anti-crime initiative. D.L. Buckner was sitting on his porch, a block away from the shooting, when he heard five shots.
“Then it stopped”, Mr Buckner said. And then we heard five more shots. And then it stopped again. And thats when we heard a whole bunch of police cars flying over there. First we thought it was firecrackers.”
“It’s crazy. It’s sad to see anybody get killed, especially somebody who works around here,” Mr Buckner said
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