Cicero Good Samaritan: 'I Didn't Think Twice'
CHICAGO (CBS) -- He fired three shots hitting a suspect who had just shot a Cicero police officer.
CBS 2's Mai Martinez talked to the person about the harrowing incident.
On the phone, because he doesn't want to be identified, the Good Samaritan who stepped in Thursday to help a Cicero police officer who was under fire talked about what prompted him to take action in the moment.
"I was there in the right time and the right moment," he said. "My instincts, you know, told me to do what I did. I didn't think twice to do what I did."
The 42-year-old said he was stopped at red light when he saw police trying to stop a black Mercedes. The next thing he saw the suspect jumping out and exchanging fire with police.
Officer Luis Duarte was hit several times. As the suspect ran towards him shooting at another officer, the Good Samaritan who has a concealed carry license pointed his gun and fired three shots striking the suspect.
Cicero's police chief praised the unidentified man.
"We were lucky enough to have a good citizen on the street who's a concealed carry holder," said Commander Jerry Chlada. "And he also engaged in gunfire with the offender who was struck one time."
"Well, like I'm thinking you know, save that officer's life you know, and then I tried to help that officer," the unidentified man said. "I take a towel in my car and wrapped it around his arm."
The man said he's owned the gun he used for 16 years but this was the first time he ever shot at anyone.
It seems like the conceal carry law was meant for situations like the one involving a Cicero police officer. But is it?
2 Investigator Brad Edwards has poured over the law and has the story.
A Good Samaritan with a gun. What can they really do?
The protagonist in the story got out of his vehicle and fired at the suspect.
"As a general rule a person with a concealed carry permit (or any person) can use a weapon to defend themselves from great bodily harm or someone else," said Richard Schak, a retired Chicago police sergeant. He's the head of the criminal justice program at National Louis University.
According to the Illinois compiled statute:
"A person is justified in the use of force against another when he reasonably believes that such conduct is necessary to defend himself or another against such other's imminent use of unlawful force."
"In this case I think that citizen is totally justified," said Schak. "And I think he further should be commended because he came to the aid of a police officer who was injured. And in this climate people might be hesitant to do that."
CBS 2's Brad Edwards and Mai Martinez contributed to this report.
