CHICAGO — Two Chicago police officers were fatally struck by a train Monday while investigating a call of shots fired on the city's South Side.
The officers were identified as Conrad Gary, 37, who was on the force for a year and a half, and Eduardo Marmolejo, 31, who'd been on the force for two and a half years, according to WGN.
The officers from the 5th District were struck by a passing NICTD-Indiana South Shore train at 103rd Street and Cottage Grove Avenue about 6:20 p.m. Monday. The men had chased a shooting suspect onto the tracks.
A weapon was recovered and a person of interest was being questioned as of 9:20 p.m. Monday, according to police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.
Earlier this year, two officers in the 5th District committed suicide in separate incidents. A third officer died after collapsing on duty. Gary and Marmolejo bring the total number of deaths in the 5th District this year to five 5.
It's been a tough year for the Chicago Police Department. In February, CPD Cmdr. Paul Bauer was fatally shot while chasing a suspect downtown. Last month, Officer Samuel Jimenez was fatally shot in the Mercy Hospital and Medical Center shooting, which also took the lives of emergency room doctor Tamara O'Neal and pharmacy resident Dayna Less. The gunman in that incident fatally shot himself after being shot by police.
