Man Dies After Being Shot By Police In South Austin
CHICAGO (STMW) -- A 37-year-old man shot by a Chicago Police officer early Sunday in the South Austin neighborhood died of his injuries hours later, authorities said.
The officer shot the armed man multiple times after the man turned and raised his gun at the officer, according to police and union officials.
Gary Smith was taken in critical condition to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, where he was pronounced dead at 4:37 a.m. Sunday, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.
Officers arrived about 2:30 a.m. Sunday in the 5400 block of West Madison Street in the South Austin neighborhood, according to a written statement issued by Chicago Police.
Fraternal Order of Police spokesman Pat Camden said someone called 911 to report the "large crowd" near Madison and Lotus, but he couldn't elaborate further on that complaint.
"It's enough to call the police," Camden said.
When officers arrived, Camden said, they found two groups of people. In one group, he said, an officer saw a man "pointing a gun at the other people in the crowd."
That man tried to flee northbound, and Camden said the officers "clearly" saw a gun in his hand. Camden said the man put the gun in his waistband and "picked up the pace, running across the street."
But an officer caught up, Camden said, and grabbed the man by the back of the shirt. That's when Camden said the man pulled the gun, turned around and raised the gun at the officer.
Police said a weapon was recovered from the scene. Camden said the weapon was a semi-automatic Glock handgun.
Police detectives and the Independent Police Review Authority, which reviews all police-involved shootings, were investigating the shooting.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2014. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
