Person of interest apprehended in shooting of police officer

ByELLA TORRES ABCNews logo
Sunday, September 22, 2019

Police said they've apprehended a man they believe shot a Chicago police officer Saturday morning.

The officer lost nearly a third of his blood from the gunshot wounds, but was rushed to a local hospital for surgery and last was listed in stable condition, according to Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.

The officer managed to apply a tourniquet to stop the bleeding following the shooting in West Englewood, on the city's South Side, Guglielmi said.

Police identified the suspect as 45-year-old Michael Blackman.

Guglielmi said Saturday evening a person of interest was apprehended and that person "is believed to be Michael Blackman."

Blackman fled the scene after the incident and was considered armed and dangerous, according to Guglielmi.

He is also the alleged suspect from a different shooting on Wednesday that left a woman injured by gunfire in the 200 block of N. Milwaukee Ave, police said.

Saturday's incident began around 8:40 a.m. in the 1900 block of West 65th Street. It was not immediately clear what unfolded before shots were fired.

The officer, who has not yet been identified, was shot twice in the groin area, said Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford, according to ABC Chicago station WLS. Calls to Langford by ABC News were not immediately returned.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she is aware of the situation and monitoring for updates.

"I ask all Chicagoans to join me in praying for the officer shot earlier today and his family, and for the continued safety of our first responders and law enforcement who work day and night to protect our residents," Lightfoot wrote in a tweet.

The U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were at the scene searching for the suspected gunman.

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