US: 4 killed in Chicago hospital shooting

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - Three people, including a police officer, were killed Monday in a shooting at a hospital in Chicago, said police.

The gunman – identified as 32-year-old Juan Lopez, the former fiancée of one of the victims -- was among the dead in the attack at Mercy Hospital.

Earlier, Anthony Guglielmi, chief communications officer for the Chicago Police Department, said on Twitter that police officer Samuel Jimenez had lost his life in the line of duty.

"The City of Chicago lost a doctor, pharmaceutical assistant and a police officer, all going about their day, all doing what they love," Mayor Rahm Emanuel said at a press briefing.

Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois said he was grateful to the Chicago Police Department for responding to the attack with "bravery".

"My heart is with Mercy Hospital in Chicago tonight. I am praying for the victims, their families, and those who were injured during the shooting this afternoon," he said on Twitter.

The shooting, on the city’s South Side, happened around 3:20 p.m. (2120GMT), local media reported.