Breaking News Emails
A Chicago police officer and two others were critically shot in an incident at a local hospital on Monday afternoon.
The suspect was also shot and The Associated Press reported he is dead.
Anthony Guglielmi, chief communications officer for the Chicago Police Department, said on Twitter that the officer was critically wounded in the incident at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center about 26 blocks south of the Chicago Loop.
Two others and the suspected shooter were also in critical condition following the shooting at about 3:30 p.m., authorities told NBC station WMAQ.
A witness, James Gray, told WMAQ that he saw at least one woman shot near the hospital.
Gray said he saw a man and a woman talking to one another before the man pulled a gun and shot the woman and then began shooting others at the hospital.
"Once he entered he just started shooting at random," Gray said. "It looked like he was turning and pointing at people at random."
Following the shooting, police conducted a methodical search of the hospital, Guglielmi tweeted earlier, as authorities warned the public to avoid the area.
A source in the Chicago Fire Department told WMAQ the hospital had been partially evacuated.
Mercy Hospital is about 26 blocks south of the Chicago Loop.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Chicago Field Division tweeted that it is responding to the scene of the shooting.
This is a breaking story. Please check back for updates.