Mayor Brandon Johnson said Martinez “bravely protected this city” and urged city residents to pray for his family and support the police department.

“This tragic loss hurts deeply; “The wound is serious,” Johnson said, standing next to Snelling. “The only way we can get through this tragic loss is by sticking together and recognizing the value and courage of our police department who risk their lives for us every day.”

An unidentified person in the vehicle was also shot and killed.

The attacker fled the vehicle after initially trying to walk away, Snelling said. He was taken into custody after a short chase and search in the area, and the passenger in the back seat was also arrested.

Inside the vehicle, officers found a handgun from the person who was fatally shot and another gun with an extended magazine, Snelling said. After the conflict, a police officer reported over the police radio that one of the occupants of the vehicle was armed with an “automatic weapon.”

Snelling said a police officer also opened fire, but it was unclear who fired. The Civilian Office for Police Accountability is currently investigating the shooting, which was recorded by frantic police calls that were at times drowned out by screams and radio interference.

“We’re transferring someone (police officer) to the University of Chicago; was shot,” an officer said. “Close the streets!”

Fake attack call came minutes ago

Minutes before the shooting, a woman reported shooting someone who tried to break into her 2017 Kia Soul in the 8200 block of South Ingleside Boulevard, two blocks south of where Martinez was shot. A police officer later radioed that the attack was not “well-intentioned”.

The woman told the Sun-Times that she misreported a shooting after 911 dispatchers explained that a car break-in would not require immediate police attention.

The 50-year-old woman said officers arrived minutes after the false shooting report, but Martinez was not among those who responded.

After a brief argument when officers realized no one had been shot, the woman watched them speed away and suddenly heard screams and “rapid gunshots.”

“Leave it alone!” The woman said the officers shouted repeatedly.

The block was quiet late Tuesday morning. Neighbor John Wilson, 62, expressed sympathy for Martinez’s family as they reflected on the “crazy” attack.

“I feel sorry for them. “He was just doing his job,” said Wilson, who has lived in the area for more than two decades.

‘The suspect has a criminal history’

On Monday night, uniformed and plainclothes police gathered at the hospital where Martinez was taken. Some hugged each other; others were heard shouting.

Snelling said it’s impossible to “know what’s in store for our officers as they try to keep the public safe.”

The suspect who remains in custody is a convicted felon who is on electronic monitoring in Will County. Snelling noted that the tracking device was disconnected, but the police investigation continues.

The Will County sheriff’s office issued an arrest warrant for him last month, and he was charged with a felony for allegedly trying to obstruct a drug test, according to court records. The then-23-year-old was already facing felony marijuana charges.

Chicago police arrested him on a warrant on Oct. 11 and he was later turned over to Will County authorities, according to court records. After he was released on electronic monitoring in the new case, Will County prosecutors requested he be detained pending trial on marijuana charges. This case continued on October 28.

He previously pleaded guilty to shooting into a vehicle in May 2021, according to court records.

While he was being held in prison in that case, he was charged with additional felonies stemming from a group of inmates attacking another inmate. On the same day as the other plea deal, he pleaded guilty to a battery charge that was reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor.

He was sentenced to four years in prison, including 728 days in prison and mandatory probation, in the armed assault case. Records show that in the other case, he was only fined and had to pay court costs.

A spokesman for the Will County state’s attorney’s office said prosecutors were cooperating with the state’s pretrial services office and the Chicago police homicide investigation, but they declined to comment further.

Snelling said authorities needed to do more to prevent “repeat offenders” from committing crimes.

“We cannot allow people to continue to harm this city and victimize people with violent crimes, robberies, shootings,” he said. “They will never be able to undo the trauma they caused to the families and individuals they attacked.”

Union boss calls shooting ‘worst case scenario’

John Catanzara, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, said he is “almost numb” to the violence afflicting Chicago police officers.

“Unfortunately, it’s part of the landscape,” Catanzara said.

He insisted that the video purportedly showing the fatal encounter showed police officers had to walk a delicate line. In the video, an officer can be heard repeatedly ordering someone to “stop reaching out.”

“You’re going to be shot,” the officer says before a gunshot is heard. Catanzara said it’s another example of “how quickly things can go bad.”

“This is the worst-case scenario that many idiots in this city and this country believe,” Catanzara said, referring to police officials, politicians and prosecutors. “Apparently a police officer needs to be shot or shot before having to return fire.” “He was killed.”

He accused a number of public officials of “defunding the police” and said they shouldn’t have bothered attending Martinez’s funeral. The list included Mayor Brandon Johnson, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, Inspector General Deborah Witzburg, COPA staff and everyone who voted in favor of the SAFE-T Act criminal justice legislation.

Stating that Martinez’s family members are also in the police force, he said, “The only thing that should be taken into consideration is what the family’s wishes are.” “No matter what this department says and tries to prod the family, there is no protocol that says the mayor has to be at the funeral.

“If the family decides they don’t want certain people there, that will be enough.”