Police are investigating the deaths of two Chicago officers fatally struck by a train Monday while responding to a “shots-fired call,” city officials said.
Eduardo Marmolejo, 37, and Conrad Gary, 31, were chasing a suspected gunman around 6 p.m. when they were hit by a train that may have been traveling 70 mph, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson told reporters at a press conference.
Johnson said the officers, both fathers with young children, were pronounced dead at the scene.
The two officers were killed “doing the most dangerous thing any police officer can do, and that is to chase an individual with a gun,” Johnson said. “These brave young men were consumed by identifying a potential threat to their community and put the safety of others above their own.”
Gary had been on the force for 18 months, and Marmolejo for 2 1/2 years, according to the Chicago Police Department.
Investigators recovered a weapon at the scene and apprehended the suspect after the accident.
Police haven’t yet released any details on the suspect, and the investigation is ongoing.
“We lost people answering the call to make Chicago a better place,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. https://t.co/2dy05p0rxE pic.twitter.com/En4KUhXMui
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel called for unity in the wake of the tragedy.
“We as a city have to measure up and remind them, they’re part of our family,” Emanuel told reporters. “There are no words to express our grief, our sense of loss.”
“This knocks you back on your heels,” Emanuel added. “I think it’s really important that we put our arms around the Chicago Police Department and support them at this critical juncture.”
