Massive manhunt in Lansing follows shooting of Chicago cop

By Josh Bootsma

LANSING, Ill. (December 2, 2021) – Police vehicles and helicopters descended on Lansing last night as officers from as far north as Chicago started a manhunt to apprehend individuals involved in the shooting of a Chicago police officer.

According to a Chicago Police Department release, officers in Chicago’s 4th District were conducting a traffic investigation in Calumet Heights when shots were fired. One CPD officer was shot in his leg with non-life threatening injuries, the release said. One of the four individuals in the car was apprehended after he was shot in the torso.

The remaining individuals drove their vehicle into Lansing, where all three fled on foot, said an officer stationed along Torrence Avenue. The vehicle was left in the front yard of a residence in the 2300 block of 184th Place. In that neighborhood, an officer with an assault rifle was later seen as well as two officers with police dogs.

As the manhunt spread throughout the area, the whir of helicopter blades and the flashing lights of police cars brought many Lansing residents out of their homes, to their windows, or to platforms like Facebook to discuss what was happening.

Though Chicago Police Department Superintendent David Brown said in a video statement, “We think we have everyone in custody, either as a person of interest or an offender,” officers on the scene indicated that a search was still active for at least one individual.

As the night progressed, conversations with multiple officers in the area indicated that the ongoing manhunt had narrowed to one individual. A Lansing Police officer told The Lansing Journal, “there’s still one left” as he turned onto Torrence Avenue in his squad car.

Lansing, Munster, South Holland, and Chicago Police were seen around Lansing, as well as Illinois State Police and the Cook County Sheriff — who one officer said was leading the manhunt.

Squad cars could be seen patrolling nearby neighborhoods late Wednesday night and into Thursday morning. When asked at around midnight if there was any specific area where a search was taking place, one officer said he was not aware of any such focused search.

A CodeRed alert from the Village of Lansing at 12:17 a.m. Thursday morning said, “The heavy police presence in the area of 184th Street and Rose Street has concluded. While there is no specific area of concern any longer, please contact 911 with and suspicious circumstances. LPD thanks you for your patience and assistance.”

The Lansing Journal will continue to cover this story as it develops.