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An Illinois state soldier was shot dead on the Dan Ryan Freeway in Chicago, authorities confirmed on Friday afternoon.
Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said the officer was taken to an area hospital in critical condition. Further details of what happened were not immediately available, but several law enforcement sources told NBC 5 that the shooting appears to have been self-inflicted.
The incoming Dan Ryan was closed to traffic from 2 p.m. between 47th Street and Pershing Road “due to police activity,” officials said.
The Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications reported that the inbound local lanes of the freeway had been closed due to a state police investigation and urged commuters to “look for an alternate route “.
Inbound express lanes were also closed between Marquette Road / 67th Street and 43rd Street.
The shooting comes a day after Illinois State Police announced they were doubling their freeway patrol presence amid an increase in shootings from Friday night.
This presence, however, was expected during the night, when numerous shootings took place.
According to an ISP press release, state police were increasing their patrol presence by about 157% during what they called “peak periods of criminal activity” on highways.
This increased presence was set for evenings and night shifts.
Soldiers have been transferred from across the state to the Chicago District to help with staffing.
Illinois State Police said at least 185 shootings have been reported on Chicago’s freeways so far in 2021, up from 128 in 2020.
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