2 Chicago Police 5th District Officers Killed By Train While On Duty

UPDATE: 12 a.m. EST, Tuesday - The Chicago police officers who were killed after being struck by a passenger train while responding to a call of gunfire Monday were identified as Eduardo Marmolejo, 36, and Conrad Gary, 31. While Marmolejo had been serving in the department for more than two years, Gary joined the department about 18 months ago.

"There they were... doing their job, trying to protect the rest of us," Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said, USA Today reported. "We lost two young men, both fathers with young families. This holiday will never be the same for those two families. We lost people who answered the call to make Chicago a better place."

Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said the shooting suspect whom the officers were investigating is believed to have made his way up the train tracks, causing the officers to chase after them and in the process, get hit by the train. The suspect was later questioned by the police.

"The most dangerous thing is to take a weapon off an armed individual," Johnson said.

Original story:

Two Chicago Police officers were fatally struck by a Metra train Monday while responding to the call of potential gunfire.

According to sources who spoke to ABC7, the officers were responding to a call of shots fired around 6 p.m. local time (7 p.m. EST) near 103rd Street and Dauphin, when they were hit by a NICTD-Indiana South Shore train. The officers were pronounced dead at the scene. Their identities were not revealed.

Chief Communications Officer of Chicago Police Anthony Guglielmi tweeted: “A devastating tragedy occurred tonight at 103rd and Cottage Grove where two #ChicagoPolice officers investigating a shots fired call were struck by a passing train. Please pray for the @ChicagoCAPS05 5th district.”

The Fraternal Order of Police also confirmed the deaths of the policemen through a Facebook post. “The FOP has learned the devestating [sic] news that two officers were killed when they were struck by a train this evening. We ask for your prayers for these officers and their families,” the post said.

Metra officials were informed an eastbound South Shore Line train had struck multiple people at 6:20 p.m. local time (7:20 p.m. EST), and as a result, all power was shut down on the Metra Electric District Line from 69th Street to 115th Street. Following the incident, all inbound and outbound trains at the Metra Electric District were halted indefinitely.

Metra spokeswoman Sylvia Cooper said transport service on both sides would likely be down for "quite some time." According to South Shore Line officials, “extensive delays” were expected.

A CBS2 employee, who was in the train when the incident occurred, said the conductor looked visibly shaken when he informed the passengers the power had been shut off due to an emergency and that an investigation was being conducted. It was not clear if the passengers were informed of the nature of the emergency.

Train workers could be seen scanning the tracks with flashlights. The passengers in the train were interviewed by the police.