Off-duty cop kills gunman (Chicago)

Chicago Sun-Times ^

[Petruchio]

Off-duty cop kills gunman

Police said an off-duty Prairie District officer shot and killed one of two men who tried to rob him as he walked home from a grocery store on the South Side on Saturday night. The armed men approached him near 69th and Crandon around 8 p.m. The officer, fearing for his life, dropped his two grocery bags, drew his weapon and fired, police said. Investigators said they recovered a weapon near the body of the suspect who was fatally shot. The other suspect was still at large late Saturday, and police did not know if he had been struck. The officer, who has been on the job six years, was not hurt.

[Petruchio]

My LTE to both Chicago newspapers:

Once again Chicago cops prove they are a protected class, better than the rest of us. Illinois law is very clear when it says that if you carry a weapon you are guilty of unlawful use of a weapon, a felony offense which will cause you to lose all rights to bear arms in the future. If I had carried and used a firearm as this LEO did, I would be in jail and my name plastered all over the front page of this paper. Why is this LEO unnamed? Why is he walking free right now?

According to ILCS 5-24, Law Enforcement Officers are allowed to carry a firearm while on duty or going directly to and from work. At no other time is a LEO authorized by Illinois law to carry a gun.

The U.S. Constitution and the Illinois Constitution do not recognize two classes of citizen, protected LEO's (with special protected class rights) and the rest of us serfs. There is only one class of citizen, with one set of rights, one set of laws, for all to live within.

I call on Attorney General Lisa Madigan to either prosecute this unnamed police officer to the full extant of the law, or to finally recognize that every legal citizen in Illinois has a right to self defense, and the right to carry personal arms for self defense.

(signed)

[Petruchio]

ping

[RedBloodedAmerican]

So citizens of Illinois are not allowed to carry a concealed weapon at all, at any time?

[em2vn]

"I call on Attorney General Lisa Madigan to either prosecute this unnamed police officer to the full extant of the law, or to finally recognize that every legal citizen in Illinois has a right to self defense, and the right to carry personal arms for self defense."

Just what we need. Throw an innocent man to the dogs to make a point. It's pretty easy to stand on principle when your butt isn't the one in a crack.

[toddst]

Just what we need. Throw an innocent man to the dogs to make a point. It's pretty easy to stand on principle when your butt isn't the one in a crack.

Don't need to penalize the police officer for protecting himself. Just change the stupid law and allow civilian and off-duty police concealed-carry!

[greydog]

I call on Attorney General Lisa Madigan to either prosecute

Yeah, right.

[Petruchio]

This cop is not innocent.

He was armed in direct violation of Illinois law. (Unlawful use of weapon)

He fired said weapon (aggravated discharge of a weapon)

He killed a man (homocide)

Should I keep going? If I had done what he did I would be in Cook County jail with bail denied. My name would be in all the papers and my reputation smeared in the mud. None of these things happened to this "protected class" killer. Why?

[Don Munn]

The law requires all Chicago Police Officers to carry their weapon at all times, that includes while off duty.

[Petruchio]

Not at all. We are supposed to be defenceless sheep waiting for Mayor Daily's thugs and protected gang-bangers to kill us.

[Tacis]

Of course, if the armed cop is white and the dead guy black, we will crucify the cop!! However, if the cop is black and the perp is black (South Side?), we'll never hear about this again. Altgough, if either the dead or missing perp is related to Jesse Jackson or Moseley-Braun, this could become a BIG deal. If the cop is related to either, not one word, much like the night club where so many died but, since it was owned by a Jesse pal, nothing was ever again mentioned.

[em2vn]

Keep going until you make sense. You want the man prosecuted because he did what you say all citizens of Illinois should be able to do. If, however, you can't carry a side arm, then any one who does should be put away. I think that would make sense in the Clinton White House.

[Atlas Sneezed]

If I had carried and used a firearm as this LEO did, I would be in jail and my name plastered all over the front page of this paper.

---

And the newspaper wouldn't state that you "were in fear for your life" as unquestioned fact in the first paragraph. This report reads like the cops wrote it.

[Petruchio]

According to 720 ILCS 5-24 the LEO exemption is: "Peace officers while in performance of their official duties."

[Don Munn]

Check City of Chicago Law and Cook County Law, Officers and Sheriffs must carry their weapon while off duty!

Not state law.

[Petruchio]

Seig Hiel! You would do fine as a storm trooper.

Cops are not a protected class set in place to rule over us. The un-named cop broke the law. He should face the music for it. Or, change the law for all of us.

[Petruchio]

So, City law holds greater weight than State law? Is this another decree of King Richie II?

[Don Munn]

This law has been on the books almost as long as there as been a City of Chicago and that is before either Daley.

[rpd35]

wow, have you read the constitution lately?
1) the cop is guilty, ect.
ever heard that part of INNOCENT until PROVEN guilty?
if illinois has a stupid law that says officers cant carry weapons off duty, that makes the public LESS SAFE. how many times has an off duty cop stopped an in progress crime? cops are considered on duty 24/7 (in most areas) i WANT cops to be armed off duty, that way the criminals never know who is standing behind them in line at that convenience store. or are we just supposed to be victims and then complain the cops arent doing anything?