A Chicago police officer was shot and killed overnight after completing her shift

By Rebekah Riess, Brad Parks and Zoe Sottile, CNN

A Chicago police officer who had just completed a shift was shot and killed in the city’s South Side Avalon Park neighborhood early Saturday morning, according to the Chicago Police Department.

Police received a call of shots fired at around 1:42 a.m. local time, interim Chicago police superintendent Eric Carter said at a Saturday news conference.

An officer responded to the scene and discovered a female officer with a gunshot wound. The responding officer gave the woman aid, then put her in the back of a squad car and immediately brought her to the University of Chicago hospital, Carter said. She died from her wounds early this morning, Carter said.

As of Saturday morning, no one is in custody and police continue to investigate the incident.

“Right now, we ask that you keep the officer and her family in your prayers, as well as the men and women of the Chicago Police Department, who sacrifice everything, including their lives, for this city every day,” Carter said.

The officer had served on the force for three years, according to Carter.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot also addressed the killing.

“It’s unfortunate that we’re standing here again today to talk about another tragedy that has befallen one of our bravest citizens,” she said.

Lightfoot said she spoke with the family of the deceased officer, who were “completely shattered.”

“No mother wants to wake up to the tragic news that their child is dead,” she said.

“I’ve directed the superintendent to spare no expense, to make sure that we find the people responsible for this and bring them to justice,” the mayor added.

Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson, who will succeed Lightfoot on May 15, called the shooting a “profound tragedy” in a statement.

“My heart breaks for the family of the young officer who was murdered early this morning on her way home from work,” he said. “I’m outraged and devastated by this horrific violence against a public servant, and I will do everything I can to support her family and the Chicago Police Department through this traumatic time.”

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CNN’s Kara Devlin contributed to this report.