IL: Private Pistol Packer Praised for Participation in Police Gunfight

Image from NBCchicago.com


On Thursday, about 5 p.m., 13 September, of 2018, police in Cicero, Illinois engaged in a gunfight with a suspect after a traffic stop. One officer was hit four times.  A legally armed citizen came to the aid of the police and engaged the suspect. The suspect was hit once and taken into custody.  From chicagosuntimes.com:

The suspect kept running and shooting at the officers as Duarte and his partner returned fire, officials said. That’s when someone sitting in traffic on Cicero Avenue got out of his car and began shooting at the suspect as well, Chlada said.

The suspect was hit once and taken to Stroger Hospital in serious condition, according to Chicago police. It wasn’t clear if the bullet that hit him came from the officers or the concealed-carry holder.

Cicero town President Larry Dominick commended the citizen shooter, who has not been named.

“He got out and started helping the police, which is something I’ve got to be proud of,” Dominick said.

There have been a number of incidents were armed citizens have aided police during criminal attacks. It is more common to see officers saved by legally armed citizens than to see officers shot by people who are not prohibited possessors. In the last few years we have seen armed citizens saving police in Utah, in 2018, in 2017, an armed woman in Georgia saved a sheriff's deputy and an Arizona armed citizen saved a State Trooper. In 2016, armed citizens saved police in Florida, Ohio, and in Pennsylvania.

An increasing number of police are being saved by armed citizens as more and more citizens are regularily carrying defensive firearms.

Scores of examples of armed citizens saving police officers before 1996 are recounted in  the nraila.org article published in 1999.

Armed people and local police are natural allies. Locally controlled police and  populations who trust them can drive crime rates to very low levels.


Almost all police attackers have long criminal histories.

The private person who engaged in a gunfight on the side of the police, was not shot at by police, and he did not shoot innocent bystanders. The police did not shoot their ally or innocent bystanders.

©2018 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.

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