CHICAGO (AP) — The Department of Homeland Security said an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer opened fire and killed a suspect in a Chicago suburb Friday after the suspect tried to evade arrest by driving his car at the officers and dragged one of them.
The department said in a news release that the officer was trying to arrest a man who had a history of reckless driving.
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The department said the man refused orders from the officers and instead drove his car at them. One of the ICE officers was hit and dragged by the car. The department said the officer felt a threat to his life and opened fire.
ICE said the officer and the subject were both taken to a local hospital where the suspect was pronounced dead.
“We are praying for the speedy recovery of our law enforcement officer. He followed his training, used appropriate force, and properly enforced the law to protect the public and law enforcement,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a statement.
ICE says the shooting happened in the Franklin Park suburb, about 18 miles west of Chicago.
The shooting comes as ICE is a little less than a week into an immigration enforcement operation in Chicago that it has dubbed “Midway Blitz.”
McLaughlin said, “viral social media videos and activists encouraging illegal aliens to resist law enforcement” have made the work of their officers more dangerous.
Santana reported from Washington.
