STORY YOUMISSED
A 53-year-old man fatally shot himself Monday morning as federal task force officers moved in to execute an arrest warrant in the Back of the Yards neighborhood.
Members of the U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force arrived in the 5400 block of South Hermitage Avenue just after 9:30 a.m.
The joint task force, which includes Chicago police officers, was actively preparing to arrest the man on an outstanding warrant.
As law enforcement officers approached the location, the man pulled out a firearm and turned it on himself.
Paramedics rushed the wounded man to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where medical staff pronounced him dead.
Police officials confirmed that no officers fired their weapons during the encounter and no other injuries were reported.
Investigating officers recovered a weapon from the scene immediately following the incident.
Aerial news footage captured a heavy police presence on the residential block, with yellow crime scene tape cordoning off the area.
Chicago police officers blocked off South Hermitage Avenue between 53rd and 55th streets for several hours to conduct their preliminary investigation.
Area residents reported hearing gunshots before stepping outside to find dozens of law enforcement vehicles flooding the street.
Local resident Armando Hernandez recalled rushing toward the scene after a neighbor claimed someone had been shot and seeing the victim lying face down on the pavement.
Another neighbor, Sandra Pierce, publicly questioned the official police account given the massive influx of high-ranking department officials at the scene.
Department leaders confirmed that all participating officers and federal agents were wearing active body-worn cameras during the operation.
COPA and police investigators are currently reviewing all bodycam video files to reconstruct the exact timeline of events.
Authorities have not yet released the man’s identity or disclosed the specific criminal charges behind the active arrest warrant.
The investigation into the incident remains active and ongoing.
