News Chicago police: 2 officers die after being struck by train

[brassmonkey]

CHICAGO (AP) — Two Chicago police officers were fatally struck by a train Monday as they investigated a report of gunshots on the city's far South Side.

Eduardo Marmolejo, 37, and Conrad Gary, 31, were pursuing a person who had headed toward train tracks and were hit shortly after 6 p.m. as the commuter train passed through the area, Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said.

"There was no stop at that location so the train was probably going somewhere between 60 and 70 miles per hour," Johnson said during a news conference.

He said the person they were looking for was eventually taken into custody and the weapon was recovered. He said the investigation was still in the early stages and that more details would be released at a later time.

Marmolejo had been with the department for 2½ years and Gary for 18 months, Johnson said.

Chicago police use "ShotSpotter" technology, or sensors that monitor for the sound of gunfire and alert police. Johnson said the two officers went to the scene Monday after a "ShotSpotter" alert went out.

"It just highlights again how dangerous this job can be. I often say that the most dangerous thing a police officer can do is take a weapon off of an armed individual," Johnson said.

The train that struck the officers was operated by a commuter rail line that links northern Indiana and Chicago, according to media reports.

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