Chicago police officer found dead in home ruled suicide

Saturday, July 16, 2022
CHICAGO (WLS) -- The cause of death of a Chicago police officer who was found dead in a home Friday has been ruled a suicide, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.

The officer has been identified as 42-year-old Durand Lee,. the medical examiner released Friday afternoon.

The 5th District officer was found dead inside his residence in the 1st District, Chicago police spokesman Tom Ahern said.

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"Please keep this Officer's family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time," Ahern said.

There was a procession from the home to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office Friday morning.

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Further details were not immediately available.

More than a dozen suicides have been reported in the CPD since 2018. A 2017 Justice Department report found CPD's suicide rate was 60% higher than the nationwide average for officers.

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If you feel suicidal or you're worried about someone you know, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. You can also text the Crisis Text Line by messaging TALK to 741741.

For more information, visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

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The Sun-Times Media report contributed to this post.
The video featured is from a previous report.
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