NBC 5’s Dick Johnson has the details on new revelations of the final minutes leading up to the tragic deaths of two on-duty Chicago police.
A body camera recovered near the tracks where two Chicago police officers were hit and killed by a train Monday night revealed new details on the moments leading up to the tragic accident, authorities said.
According to Chicago Police Department spokesman Tom Ahern, the body camera was found 100 feet from the tracks on Chicago's Far South Side where 36-year-old Eduardo Marmolejo and 31-year-old Conrad Gary were killed.
Footage showed a northbound train heading toward the officers, who were standing on southbound tracks when they were suddenly hit, Ahern said. Authorities believe the northbound train drowned out the sounds of a southbound train approaching the officers from behind.
According to Ahern, the officers were heard on camera "talking to each other" up until the moment they were struck.
The incident took place at around 7 p.m. near East 103rd Street and South Cottage Grove Avenue in the city's Rosemoor neighborhood, officials said.
The location above a viaduct has eight tracks where, at any given time, two commuter lines and a freight line operate trains.
Police said the officers were both on foot, responding to a call of shots fired, when they were struck by the passing train.
Marmolejo and Gary were working as partners on Monday night and had a combined four years on the force, authorities said. Gary had been with the department for 18 months, while Marmolejo had been with CPD for two-and-a-half years.
Both officers were assigned to CPD's 5th District - Calumet, which covers several Far South Side neighborhoods including Roseland and West Pullman.
The district has "faced tragedy after tragedy this year," Supt. Eddie Johnson said at a news conference Monday night, referring to three other deaths - two suicides and another on-duty death.
Marmolejo and Gary were both married fathers - Gary had one young child and Marmolejo had three children, according to police.
"This holiday will never be the same for those two families," Mayor Rahm Emanuel said. "Our hearts are with them."
“There are no words that can express the grief and sense of loss—this knocks you back on your heels,” he added.
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Supt. Eddie Johnson and First Deputy Anthony Riccio were at the scene for hours overnight supervising the investigation.
A procession escorted the officers' bodies to the Cook County medical examiner's office early Tuesday morning, with several members of the Chicago Police and Fire departments paying their respects along the way.
A weapon and shell casings were recovered from the scene and one person was in custody, charged with a "firearms violation," Ahern said. That charged was pending review by the Cook County State's Attorney, he said.
