One officer dead, another critical after prisoner opens fire at Chicago Hospital

A prisoner being transported by police managed to grab an officer's weapon inside Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital, and open fire, killing one officer and leaving another fighting for his life on Saturday, April 25, 2026.

The shooting happened just before 11 a.m. at the hospital on North California Avenue.

According to law enforcement sources, the suspect had been brought to the hospital's emergency room for treatment roughly two hours before the attack, part of a routine process before being taken to jail for a separate offence. At some point during that time, he managed to disarm one of the officers guarding him and turned the weapon on them.

He fired multiple shots at police officers, and both were struck.

SWAT teams, Illinois State Police and Chicago police responded to the scene and the hospital was placed on lockdown. The streets around the hospital were blocked off as authorities swept the grounds.

Residents of the surrounding neighbourhood were urged to avoid the area completely and take shelter. 

The suspect fled the scene on foot and barricaded himself in a nearby building. Following a tense stand off with SWAT teams, the shooter was arrested again.

The injured officers were rushed to Advocate Illinois Masonic Hospital. One was later pronounced dead and the other remained in critical condition.

Their names have not yet been released.