A police officer who was shot Tuesday morning has died, Fox News confirmed, and a community an hour north of Chicago was on lockdown as a massive manhunt for three armed and dangerous suspects continued
Helicopters were circling above Fox Lake, Ill., and every law enforcement agency from the area, along with a regional SWAT team, K-9 units and FBI and ATF agents were hunting for three suspects after the police officer was shot and killed around 8 a.m. local time.
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The FAA put a temporary flight restriction in place over the area at the request of the Fox Lake Police Department at 1:35 p.m.
The FAA put a temporary flight restriction in place over the area at the request of the Fox Lake Police Department at 1:35 p.m.
The area being searched by police, in the northeastern portion of the state, was described as wooded and rural. Two male suspects are white and one is black, according to Lake County Sheriff's Det. Chris Covelli.
The officer radioed in Tuesday morning to tell dispatchers he was chasing three men on foot, but communication was lost shortly after, according to Covelli.
"His backup arrived shortly thereafter and found him injured with a gunshot wound," Covelli said. "The officer has succumbed to his injuries and passed away."
Undersheriff Raymond Rose told the Chicago Tribune that the officer was stripped of his gun and other equipment.
Tuesday's incident comes on the heels of a rise in shootings of law enforcement officers. In the most recent case before Tuesday, a Texas deputy was gunned down at a gas station on Friday.
“As information continues to come in about the shooting of another police officer in the line of duty in Fox Lake, I hope we can all remain calm and pray for the officer’s family and the other officers in harms-way right now," State Rep. Barbara Wheeler said in a statement. "Eleven police officers have needlessly lost their lives since Aug. 20th alone in America because of shootings and sadly our communities have been directly impacted today.”
Grant Community High School in Fox Lake was on lockdown while the search was underway.
“A police matter is occurring in the community and for the safety of our students and staff, they have requested we remain locked down,” a statement from the school said, according to FOX32.
Fox Lake is a popular resort area surrounded by numerous lakes about 52 miles northwest of Chicago.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
