A gunman who shot and killed three people, including a police officer, at a hospital on the South Side of Chicago, had recently broken up with one of the victims, a doctor who he confronted to demand she give him back the engagement ring he bought her, police said Tuesday.

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The suspected gunman, who died in the rampage, was identified as 32-year-old Juan Lopez, who had been kicked out of the Chicago Fire Academy in 2014 for harassing an individual, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said at a news conference.

Juan Lopez Facebook page via AP

On Monday, violence erupted about 3:30 p.m. in the parking lot of Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in the city's Bronzeville District and continued inside the hospital with police trading shots with Lopez, Johnson said.

He said Lopez had been in a romantic relationship with Dr. Tamara O'Neal, an emergency room physician at the hospital, who had recently broken off their engagement.

Lopez went to the hospital and allegedly confronted O'Neal in the parking lot, demanding she give back the engagement ring he gave her, Johnson said.

Chicago Police Department

A friend who was with O'Neal at the time tried to intervene in the argument when Lopez pulled up his shirt and showed O'Neal's friend that he had a gun, officials said.

O'Neal called 911 to report Lopez and told a dispatcher that he was armed, Johnson said.

As police officers arrived at the hospital, Lopez shot and killed O'Neal in the parking lot and ran into the hospital, Johnson said.

When he entered the lobby, two women, including Dayna Less, 25, a pharmacy resident in training, were getting off an elevator and Lopez allegedly opened fire on them for no apparent reason, Johnson said.

Less was shot and killed in the encounter, Johnson said.

Monte Gerlach Photography via AP

Lopez then ran back out of the hospital and fired at officers in a squad car who were trying to shield O'Neal's body with their vehicle.

"He fired at those units and ran back into the hospital," Johnson said of Lopez.

He said Officer Samuel Jimenez chased Lopez into the facility and down a hallway, where a gun battle broke out.

"What we do know is that Lopez was struck twice," Johnson said. "So, it's only fair to assume that one of our bullets struck him."

An autopsy conducted by the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office showed that while Lopez was shot in the abdomen, he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

He said Lopez was armed with a 9mm handgun and had a permit to carry a concealed weapon. Lopez had purchased four guns over the past five years, Johnson said.

"This tears at the soul of our city," Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said at a news conference Monday night. "It's the face and consequence of evil."

Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune/TNS via Getty Images

O'Neal's family said she broke up with Lopez in September.

"She saw something in the relationship that did not line up with the way she wanted to live the rest of her life," said O'Neal's father, Thomas O'Neal, told ABC Chicago station WLS-TV.

O'Neal was a 38-year old emergency room doctor, who at been a resident at Mercy hospital before joining the staff in 2016, officials said. Less graduated from Purdue University in May and became a pharmacy resident at the hospital in July, officials said.

Jimenez, 28, a married father of three young children, had been a member of the Chicago Police Department less than two years, Johnson said.

"The City of Chicago lost a doctor, pharmaceutical assistant and a police officer, all going about their day, all doing what they love," Emanuel said.

Dayna Less/Facebook

The emergency room at Mercy hospital was closed most of the day Tuesday but reopened in the afternoon.

"A hospital should be a safe place," Dr. Patrick Connor, the emergency department director at Mercy, said during the Monday night news conference. "Every shooting in America is a tragedy -- it is a national tragedy. And it is especially senseless when a shooting occurs in a healing space of a hospital."

The hospital had its first active-shooter drill three or four weeks ago, said Michael Davenport, the chief medical officer.

WBBM

"We never thought we would have to experience what we had," Davenport said. "Everyone did what they were trained to do."

About 200 patients were being cared for at the time of the shooting, he added. Everyone from the emergency room was relocated.

"When you look at what the officers did in responding, while what happened was horrific, they did save and potentially prevent a lot worse loss of life," Emanuel said Tuesday.

Johnson echoed Emanuel's assessment in a post on Twitter. Jimenez "saved a lot of lives," Johnson wrote on , adding that the suspect "was just shooting" and they "just don't know how much damage he was prepared to do."

Jimenez's police colleagues were mourning his death. Officers stood at attention and saluted Monday night as his body was removed from the hospital and taken to the medical examiner's office.

WBBM

"Today, the Fraternal Order of Police lost a valued brother -- a courageous police officer who got up this morning, went to work and wanted to protect the city of Chicago," said Kevin Graham, president of Chicago chapter of the police union. "He did that today, and he did so with his life."

Less than 24 hours after Jimenez was shot to death, another Chicago police officer was shot in an unrelated gun battle with a suspect who opened fire on him and his partner, Johnson said. Police returned fire and shot and wounded the suspect in the neck.

Emanuel said one of the officers involved in Tuesday's shooting was hit in the back of his bulletproof vest and was being treated for bruising left by a bullet.

"These are young men in this situation doing heroic work to protect us and other residents," Emanuel said at Tuesday news conference. "Here are two officers less than 24 hours [after Jimenez was shot] doing their job, stopping somebody that in the end did have a gun."

ABC News' Joshua Hoyos contributed to this report.</s>Join Our Text Club To Get The Latest Music, Entertainment, Contests And Breaking News On Your Phone. Text VIP to 71007 to join!

Four people were shot and two are dead, including the suspected gunman after a shooting at Mercy Hospital on Chicago’s South Side. A Chicago police officer is among those injured.

Shots were fired both inside and outside the hospital between 3 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. according to police. Multiple injuries have been reported, but police have not said how many people were injured or how severe their injuries were.

Officers said one suspect had been shot. The hospital was partially evacuated with employees and patients taken to warming buses. Police have not yet signaled for an all clear for them to return. The exact reason behind the shooting or a motive was not made clear.

The hospital is located in Bronzeville near the intersection of 25th and Michigan Avenue.

Two Dead Including Gunman At Mercy Hospital In Chicago was originally published on myhoustonmajic.com</s>Chicago police say officer who was shot by a gunman at Mercy hospital has died

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago police say officer who was shot by a gunman at Mercy hospital has died.</s>
• At least four people are dead, including a Chicago police officer and a suspected gunman, after a shooting at Chicago's Mercy Hospital on Monday afternoon.
• The 28-year-old officer, identified as Samuel Jimenez, had just completed his probationary period local news outlets reported.

At least four people are dead — including a 28-year-old Chicago police officer and a suspected gunman — after a shooting at Chicago's Mercy Hospital on Monday afternoon, Chicago police officials told local news media.

The 28-year-old officer, identified as Samuel Jimenez, had just completed his probationary period local news outlets reported.

Two other people were wounded in the shooting, according to officials cited by Reuters. The newswire service said an investigator at the Cook County Medical Examiner's office said those two had also died.

Around 3:30 p.m. local time on Monday afternoon, Chicago Police communications officer Anthony Guglielmi tweeted that there had been reports "of shots fired in the vicinity of 26th and Michigan" and warned the public to stay away from the area.

People are seen being evacuated from the hospital Monday afternoon. CBS Chicago

Around 4:40 p.m., a tweet from the Mercy Hospital account indicated that Chicago Police had secured the scene and that "patients are safe."

Hours after police had secured the area, Guglielmi confirmed Officer Jimenez's death and called the shooting incident "senseless."

"Please pray for his family, his fellow officers & the entire Chicago Department," Guglielmi wrote on Twitter.

Chicago Sun-Times reporter Sam Charles said he spoke to a man who was visiting his wife at the hospital, who said he heard five "rapid-fire" shots from what appeared to be a "large caliber weapon."

Bill West, a local traffic reporter, tweeted that the hospital was being evacuated as police officers searched the building. However, he said so far there "appears to be" only one shooter. West said evacuees were being put on buses to get them away from the scene.

One hospital employee told the Tribune that she was in her office when she heard an announcement over the building's PA system, telling everyone to lock their doors. She was later evacuated and put on one of the buses.

"I don't know what happened," she told the reporter as she was ushered onto the bus.

"They told us to run so we did," another evacuated employee told the Tribune.

Another shaken employee told ABC 7 Chicago that she was "scared as hell."

"I have never been so scared, I hear of shootings going on every day at people's workplaces, but not where I work at. This was very too close to me. That could have been us back there and if any bullets had pierced the wall we all would have been hurt," the employee said.</s>A gunman opened fire Monday at a Chicago hospital, wounding at least four people, including a police officer and a hospital employee, authorities said.

A police spokesman said the gunman was dead, but it was not immediately clear if he took his own life or was killed by police.

The shooting unfolded at Mercy Hospital on the city's South Side, and officers were searching the facility.

Four people were in critical condition, including an officer. At least one of the four was a hospital employee, police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.

Live footage from local news stations show a heavy police presence at the hospital with authorities entering and exiting the building.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel is huddling with Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson at city’s public safety headquarters where they’re monitoring the events, according to the mayor’s spokesperson Eddie Johnson.

Mercy Hospital and Medical Center is a 292-bed medical and surgical Catholic teaching hospital that was established in 1852.

USA Today contributed to this story. This is developing news, check back here for more updates.</s>CHICAGO (CBS) — Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson are en route to University of Chicago Hospital where a CPD officer was taken after a shooting Monday afternoon at Mercy Hospital.

Several dozen police officers are outside the hospital awaiting word on the Chicago police officer who was shot in the incident.

The incident unfolded around 3:20 Monday afternoon when a gunman began shooting inside and outside the grounds of Mercy Hospital.

There are reports that the gunman in question is deceased.

Several witnesses describe multiple shots fired inside and outside the building.</s>According the Associated Press, the medical examiner says it has been notified of four deaths from the shooting that took place at Mercy Hospital on the city's South Side.

A police spokesman said the gunman was dead, but it was not immediately clear if he took his own life or was killed by police.

Live footage from local news stations show a heavy police presence at the hospital with authorities entering and exiting the building.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel is huddling with Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson at city’s public safety headquarters where they’re monitoring the events, according to the mayor’s spokesperson Eddie Johnson.

Mercy Hospital and Medical Center is a 292-bed medical and surgical Catholic teaching hospital that was established in 1852.

USA Today contributed to this story. This is developing news, check back here for more updates.</s>A Chicago police officer and two others were critically shot in an incident at a local hospital on Monday afternoon.

The suspect was also shot and The Associated Press reported he is dead.

Anthony Guglielmi, chief communications officer for the Chicago Police Department, said on Twitter that the officer was critically wounded in the incident at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center about 26 blocks south of the Chicago Loop.

Two others and the suspected shooter were also in critical condition following the shooting at about 3:30 p.m., authorities told NBC station WMAQ.

A witness, James Gray, told WMAQ that he saw at least one woman shot near the hospital.

Gray said he saw a man and a woman talking to one another before the man pulled a gun and shot the woman and then began shooting others at the hospital.

“Once he entered he just started shooting at random,” Gray said. “It looked like he was turning and pointing at people at random.”

Following the shooting, police conducted a methodical search of the hospital, Guglielmi tweeted earlier, as authorities warned the public to avoid the area.

A source in the Chicago Fire Department told WMAQ the hospital had been partially evacuated.

Mercy Hospital is about 26 blocks south of the Chicago Loop.</s>CHICAGO – Three people are in critical condition and a suspected gunman is dead after a shooting at Mercy Hospital, police said.

One of the wounded is a police officer and at least one other is a hospital employee, Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.

The shooting in the city’s South Side unfolded around 3:20 p.m., and officers were searching the hospital.

It was not immediately clear whether the shooter took his own life or was killed by police.

Guglielmi tweeted out a confirmation of the incident, saying, "Reports of multiple victims from incident at 26th and Michigan. Please avoid area.''

Law enforcement officers including Chicago SWAT work an entrance at Mercy Hospital on Nov. 19, 2018, in Chicago.

Christine Calace, a police department spokeswoman, told USA TODAY that preliminary reports indicate shots were fired inside and outside the hospital building.

Another tweet from Guglielmi said police are "doing a methodical search of Mercy hospital. At least one possible offender is shot.''

Steven White, a patient at the hospital who had been waiting to be discharged, said the shooting started outside the hospital near the emergency room entrance.

“It was, 'Pow, pow, pow,''' said White, who was being treated for dehydration at the hospital.

Through the window, White said he could see some in the hospital lying on the ground. The gunman then fired two more shots at one person lying there, he said.

"You see stuff like this on TV, but to see someone so cold-hearted,” White said. “It was like he had no remorse.”

The gunman then ran into the building and a police officer gave chase. As bystanders took cover, White said he believe he heard the gunman fire another half dozen shots.

There were news media reports of a large police presence in the area and mass evacuations at the hospital. Emergency crews were also called in.

James Gray told ABC 7 that he saw multiple people shot: “It looked like he was turning and shooting people at random.”

Mayor Rahm Emanuel was huddling with Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson at city’s public safety headquarters where officials were monitoring the events, according to the mayor’s spokesman, Adam Collins.

Chicago recorded 762 murders in 2016 and 650 in 2017. The city has recorded 488 murders for 2018 as of Nov. 11, more than any other U.S. city but an 18 percent decline since last year.

Mercy Hospital and Medical Center is a 292-bed medical and surgical Catholic teaching hospital that was established in 1852.

Monday's incident comes a few weeks after gunfire shook the nation with two bloody rampages, one at a bar in Thousand Oaks, California, and another at a synagogue in Pittsburgh.</s>A Chicago police officer, a doctor and a pharmaceutical assistant have died after being shot Monday afternoon by a gunman at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center on Chicago's South Side, officials said. The gunman also was killed, police said, though it's not clear if it was self-inflicted or by police gunfire.

"It's with profound sadness that we share the death of PO Samuel Jimenez from tonight's senseless active shooter incident," police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi tweeted. "Please pray for his family, his fellow officers & the entire #ChicagoPolice Department."

Jimenez, from the 2nd District, joined the force in February 2017 and had just finished his probationary period as an officer, police Supt. Eddie Johnson said at a Monday night press conference. He and his partner were assigned to another location when they responded to officers needing assistance.

"Tonight, Officer Samuel Jimenez was shot and fatally wounded in a despicable act of violence," Johnson said in an email to police. "We are all deeply saddened by this tragic event and asked that everyone keep his family and co-workers in their thoughts and prayers."

"This tears at the soul of our city," Mayor Rahm Emanuel said. "It is the face and the consequence of evil."

Johnson said the incident started in the hospital parking lot at about 3:28 p.m., during a verbal altercation between the shooter and the doctor, who he was "in a domestic relationship with."

A friend tried to intervene in the argument, Johnson said, and the shooter lifted his shirt and displayed a handgun. The friend fled into the hospital, and the shooter shot the doctor, Johnson said.

As police arrived at the scene, the shooter fired at officers before they exited their cars, Johnson said. The man then ran into the hospital, and gunfire was exchanged between the suspect and police.

During the exchange, a pharmaceutical assistant exiting an elevator was fatally shot, Johnson said. Jimenez also was shot in the exchange and taken in critical condition to the University of Chicago Hospital. He later died from his wounds.

James Gray, a witness, told reporters that he saw at least one one woman shot near the hospital.

He said he saw a man and a woman talking to one another when the man pulled out a gun and shot the woman.

"Once he entered he just started shooting at random," Gray said. "It looked like he was turning and pointing at people at random."

A Twitter user posted video of what appeared to be Chicago police officers searching the interior of the hospital.

"The shooting at Mercy Hospital is over," the hospital said on Facebook. "Chicago Police Department have secured the hospital and patients are safe."

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive's Chicago Field Division was responding to the scene to assist other local authorities.
A shooting takes place at Mercy Hospital in Chicago, leaving four dead, including the gunman.