An off-duty Chicago police officer and a woman were killed in a horrific crash on Chicago’s West Side Tuesday morning. Lauren Petty reports.
An off-duty Chicago police officer was among two people killed in a crash on Chicago’s West Side early Tuesday morning.
Police said shortly after 1 a.m. the off-duty officer was driving his personal SUV in the 4400 block of West Roosevelt when he collided with another vehicle being driven by a woman.
“From the physical scene, it appears the cars collided at a high rate of speed,” police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement.
Both the officer and the woman were killed in the crash, authorities said.
The officer, who worked in the 10th District, was transported to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, where fellow police officers lined up to escort his body.
Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson spoke to the families of both the officer and the woman and “offered the department’s deepest condolences,” police said.
It was not immediately clear what caused the accident, but Guglielmi said investigators were pulling camera footage from the area.
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The Independent Police Review Authority said the accident may have involved a police pursuit. The head of the organization said a third car -- a police car -- was involved in the accident but details remained unclear.
Security footage near the crash scene shows a Jeep speeding down Roosevelt with a police car in pursuit. The two cars involved in the deadly crash were a Jeep and a Nissan.
Debris could be seen scattered across the street and down the block.
The area near Roosevelt Road and Kostner Avenue remained closed during the morning hours as police continued to investigate.
The Chicago Transit Authority said no. 12 Roosevelt buses were being rerouted via Pulaski, 16th, Cicero and Roosevelt.
