What's known about two Chicago police officers killed by a commuter train
By Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas
Chicago Tribune
December 18, 2018
Two Chicago police officers were killed by a South Shore train Monday night as they chased after a suspect following a ShotSpotter alert of shots fired.
There are several known facts about the fatal accident, while other key pieces of information are still unknown. Here’s what’s known and what’s still being investigated:
Who the officers were
Officers Eduardo Marmolejo, 36, and Conrad Gary, 31, were conducting surveillance when they were struck by a train along the Metra tracks. Marmolejo had been on the force 2 1/2 years and Gary 18 months, Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said.
They were assigned to the Calumet police district, which covers several Far South Side neighborhoods, including Roseland and West Pullman.
Both men were fathers to young children, he added.
Why and where it happened
A ShotSpotter sensor picked up gunfire near 103rd Street and Dauphin Avenue around 6:20 p.m., police officials said.
As the two officers conducted surveillance, they “spotted a suspect scrambling up to the Metra tracks and were pursuing him when they were hit by an outbound South Shore train at the 103rd Street Rosemoor stop,” police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said. It’s not clear whether the officers followed the suspect up the side of the railroad embankment, or went up stairs at a nearby station. Body camera footage from one of the officers, viewed by police brass, shows the officers saw a northbound train heading in their direction but indicates they didn’t realize the South Shore train was bearing down on them.
Metra officials shut down all traffic on the Metra Electric District tracks Monday evening while authorities worked at the scene. The Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District, which operates South Shore Line trains, uses Metra tracks.
The investigation continued on the tracks
Passengers on board the outbound train told reporters the train unexpectedly stopped on the tracks about 6:30 p.m. CTA buses were brought to the area around 9 p.m. to take passengers from the train. Cars filled the parking lot at the Hegewisch train station, where the buses took the passengers.
At 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, South Shore Line announced trains were again moving through the area.
“Passengers should expect residual delays of 10-15 minutes due to active crime scene investigation,” according to a statement from the South Shore Line, also posted on its website.
The statement continued: “Due to the ongoing incident, Eastbound Train 203 will be canceled today, Tuesday, Dec. 18. Train 205 will take the place of Train 203, making all its scheduled stops.”
Suspect in custody
Officers responding to the fatal accident were able to locate a weapon at the scene and also found shell casings near the scene of the original shots fired call, officials said. Late Monday, they were questioning a person of interest. That person’s name has not been released. It wasn’t immediately clear what the person may be charged with.
Help for grieving families
The 100 Club of Chicago is a group that provides for the families of law enforcement officers, firefighters and paramedics who lose their lives in the line of duty. The group is collecting donations in honor of the officers; the site features thin blue and black stripes across a police badge on the page, the customary symbol to indicate an officer has died.
Chelsea Barras, a spokeswoman for the 100 Club, said the group has been in touch with Chicago police representatives to arrange a meeting with the officers’ family members.
Typically, the widow of a fallen officer first is gifted a check for $15,000, and a few weeks later, a second check in the amount of $35,000 is given to the widow, Barras said.
“It’s a total of $50,000 to the widow, provided in two installments,” Barras said. “We then can provide higher education assistance once the surviving children reach college age.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: A train running over someone can be awfully messy. I once investigated a case in which a young woman committed suicide by jumping in front of a fast-moving passenger train in the Palm Springs area. Her body parts were scattered along the railroad tracks for more than half a mile. What impressed me most about the horrifying scene was that she had been scalped by the train.
1 comment:
That was from the damn Indians at Palm Springs! They scalped me at their casino!
Post a Comment