A police officer, a doctor and a pharmaceutical assistant were killed after a Monday afternoon shooting at Chicago’s Mercy Hospital, Mayor Rahm Emanuel said. A police spokesman said the gunman had died in an exchange of shots, but it is not clear if he took his own life.
A second officer avoided injury after a bullet fired in his direction became lodged in his gun, police say.
The incident occurred at Chicago’s Mercy Hospital at about 15:00 local time (21:00 GMT) on Monday.
Police say it started with a row in the car park between people who knew each other.
The gunman first shot Tamara O’Neal, the emergency room physician he apparently knew, and then headed inside the building, closely followed by several police officers. More shots were fired, apparently at random.
The second victim was pharmacy resident Dayna Less, a 25-year-old recent graduate of Purdue University.
Police also confirmed that an officer named Samuel Jimenez had died in hospital of his injuries. A father of three, He joined the force in February 2017 and recently completed probationary training, becoming a full-fledged officer, Johnson said. A procession was held for him Monday night.
Almost 13,000 people have been killed by guns so far this year in the US, according to data compiled tracking website Gun Violence Archive.
They say another 25,000 have been injured and more than 250 police officers have been shot on duty.
Police secured the hospital and patients are safe, the hospital said.