ARMORED TRUCK GUARD KILLED, ANOTHER WOUNDED IN CHATHAM
An armored truck security guard was killed and another was critically wounded during an attempted robbery Monday in Chatham on the South Side.
The guards were loading an ATM at 10:20 a.m. at a Bank of America branch in the 200 block of West 83rd Street when two to four gunmen came up, demanded cash and opened fire, Chicago police said.
One of the guards, a 47-year-old woman, was shot six times and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, police said. She was in traumatic arrest as paramedics brought her to the hospital, Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Merritt said.
The other guard, a 46-year-old man, was shot twice in his abdomen and taken to the same hospital in critical condition, police and fire officials said.
One of the guards was pronounced dead, according to the FBI. No other details were immediately available.
Police said the suspects, who were at large, were wearing all black clothing and masks.
The gunmen did not take any of the cash, according to a spokeswoman for the FBI, which was handling the investigation.
Employees at a home remodeling store next to the bank said they heard a few rounds of gunfire. They said witnessing gunfire is unfortunately becoming routine for them.
“We’re getting used to it,” said an employee who asked not to be named. “The worst part is these shootings aren’t happening at night, you know, they’re during the day. It’s scary.”
Monday’s shooting happened across the street from where a 15-year-old Simeon High School student was gunned down in September, just a block away from campus.
The two security guards were employed by Garda, which released a statement saying two of its employees were critically wounded in a “foiled robbery attempt.”
“At this time, we are focusing on supporting them and their immediate families,” a Garda spokesperson said in a statement. “We are working closely with the authorities in their investigation to find the perpetrators.”
Ald. Howard Brookins Jr. (21st) has a ward office near where the shooting happened that he shares with state Sen. Elgie Sims Jr., DChicago and Cook County Commissioner Stanley Moore. They released a joint statement calling the shooting “yet another senseless act of gun violence.”
“We are facing a crisis moment in our communities. We are aware of the violence happening in Chicago and in other marginalized communities. We remain committed to protecting our communities and making them safer. True public safety will happen when we begin to reimagine our approach” they said in the statement.
In March, an armored truck crew shot a gunman who tried to rob them at a BMO Harris Bank branch in the North Austin neighborhood.