Female Officer, Recently Returned From Maternity Leave, Killed On Chicago’s Violent Night Of Shootings

A 29-year-old female officer was shot and killed Saturday, marking the first shooting death for a member of the Chicago Police Department this year. All three suspects, whose identities are yet to be revealed, have since been taken into custody, with one hospitalized.

Police Supt. David Brown said Sunday that another officer who was with female officer Ella French inside a Chicago police car was also shot and remains in the hospital in critical condition, FOX News reported. French was shot, suffering a fatal gunshot wound, after a male offender opened fire.

One of the suspects was struck during the officers' return fire and is hospitalized. The second offender was immediately arrested at the time of the shooting, and the third female suspect was apprehended Sunday.

French reportedly has a two-month-old child and recently returned to duty from her maternity leave.

Early investigations indicated that only one male passenger, who has a criminal history of robbery, opened fire on officers inside the police car. The suspects are yet to be charged as investigations continue with Area 1 detectives.

Shootings have been on the rise over the weekend in Chicago. Five people have been killed in a matter of 10 hours, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. The first shooting took place on Near West Side on Saturday evening, followed by the shooting that involved French by Sunday evening. In another incident, seven people were shot, resulting in the death of one.

From the evening of Saturday through Sunday night, 41 people have been shot in Chicago.

Of the shootings that took place in the area over the weekend, a mass shooting injured two teenagers aged 16 and 17. Another mass shooting in the 1800 block of West 87th Street resulted in the death of a 37-year-old man who was shot three times in the back and twice in the neck. The victim was transported to the Christ Medical Center and was soon pronounced dead.

Data from the CPD released Aug. 3 revealed that crime-related complaints have gone down by six percent, but shooting incidents have increased by 11 percent compared to last year.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot declared Sunday a day of mourning in the city. “Devoted officers reported for duty today despite their fears & pain. These officers deserve to make it home safely today and everyday,” Lori wrote on Twitter.