Chicago police have apprehended a suspect in connection with the shooting and severe wounding of a police officer on Saturday, as well as the shooting of a woman earlier in the week. The incident unfolded after a day-long manhunt.
CPD spokesman Anthony Guglielmi announced the capture of a “person of interest” believed to be 45-year-old Michael Blackman. Blackman was shot by police during the apprehension; no officers were injured in the exchange, according to Fox 32.
The injured officer, whose name has not been released, was shot at approximately 8:40 a.m. while serving a warrant on the city’s South Side. The officer, a 16-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department assigned to the fugitive apprehension team, sustained critical injuries. Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson provided details during a news conference at Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.
Trauma surgeon Jane Kayle Lee, who operated on the officer, stated, “He came basically bleeding to death. He had already lost a significant amount of blood.” Doctors reported that the officer was shot once in the groin and twice in his lower left leg. Despite the severity of the wounds, the officer was able to apply a tourniquet to himself, a skill acquired through training funded by the @CPDpolicefdtn.
Guglielmi noted that the officer lost nearly a third of his blood, even with the tourniquet in place. He underwent surgery and was listed in stable condition.
Blackman is also accused of shooting a 29-year-old woman while riding a bicycle in the Fulton River District on Wednesday, according to Superintendent Johnson. The woman was shot in the back but is expected to survive.
Michael Blackman, 45, was captured after a shooting with Chicago police. He is accused of shooting a police officer as well as a woman earlier in the week. (Chicago Police Department)
On Friday, police released surveillance video from a bicycle shop showing Blackman at the counter getting a flat tire fixed just minutes before Wednesday’s shooting.
Anthony Guglielmi’s Tweet with Surveillance Video
Fox 32 Chicago reported that the fugitive apprehension team was attempting to arrest Blackman when the shooting occurred. After officers knocked on the door, Blackman allegedly fled out the back of the home and shot the officer. Blackman is currently in critical condition and undergoing surgery, Guglielmi added.