Would-be carjacker fatally shot by retired officer in Bridgeport ID'd; 2 in custody

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A retired Chicago police officer shot and killed a man who he said was trying to carjack him Wednesday night in the Bridgeport neighborhood, police said.

The suspect who died was shot in the upper body several times and police said his two accomplices were arrested.

The suspects picked a retired Chicago police officer to carjack just before 7:30 p.m. in the 2900-block of South Shields Avenue.

The retired officer in his 60s was either in or out of his vehicle on the street when he was approached by three men and one of them had a gun, police said. The retired officer managed to fire shots at one of the three who tried to take his car, police said.

That suspect was taken to a local hospital in critical condition, where he later died. The suspect has been identified to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office as 20-year-old Lazarick West of Chicago.

Neighbor Chung Yeung Don was a witness. He said he was standing near a window to turn on the TV and heard a gun. He turned and saw the retired cop standing there and the guy was already on the ground. Then he saw the other two men running.

One man didn't hear the shots, but saw the suspects before the shooting.

"No gunshots at all, they were looking pretty shady I guess, which I didn't want to assume that, I just thought they were just standing there talking," said Michael Farrell, who is visiting Chicago. "They kept looking over their shoulder a lot and they looked at me and I just kept walking. I didn't pay attention to it at the time."

Two other suspects fled the scene but were arrested nearby. Police said they found a handgun at the scene.

Police said West was convicted on a gun charge last year and sentenced to a year behind bars, but he got out early.

The neighborhood is filled with retired police officers who have weapons and residents said crime usually doesn't happen.

"Two things: there's good and there's bad. The good news about this area is that there's quick response time. I mean the cops were here immediately. Bad in that, I believe crime is growing," said resident Diana.

"Karma, that's what it is. I mean I'm so glad, I mean I'm not glad that they got what they got, but it should be set as an example like, why are you doing this?" said neighbor Kenson Chin.

The officer retired from Area Central eight years ago, so Area South will handle the investigation, police said.

Because the officer is retired, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability will not be investigating.