2 People Dead, 2 Officers Injured in River Forest Sunday Morning

A 24-year-old man with a shotgun ambushed officers responding to a 911 call on Lathrop Avenue in River Forest early Sunday morning, police said at an afternoon press conference. The man was shot to death by police.

Police found a 60-year-old man inside the home and a 59-year-old woman. The man was dead and the woman was taken to an area hospital, according to authorities. Police told RiverForest.com that the gunman was the woman’s son.

One police officer was wounded but is expected to fully recover. Police said he’s a 15-year veteran of the department. He was wearing a bullet-proof vest at the time of the attack.

The River Forest police officer who was shot and wounded on Lathrop Avenue was seen lying in the street clutching his side after an exchange of 20 to 30 shots with someone inside a house, the witnesses told NBC Chicago. A second officer also sustained minor injuries.

Police radio recordings suggest this began as a response to a 911 call at 7:19 a.m. for “a woman with difficulty breathing” at 116 Lathrop Avenue and then became a domestic disturbance with ”an unknown type of weapon” involved. Witnesses said they could hear police yelling at the gunman to give himself up.

Within minutes, police report “shots fired, shots fired” and request assistance, according to the radio calls. Ambulances were dispatched and officers from neighboring Oak Park, Berwyn, Riverside, Stickney and the Cook County Sheriff’s Department responded.