A Chicago police officer was found shot to death in his Far South Side home Wednesday morning in an apparent suicide, authorities said.
The officer had been under investigation for allegations of sexual misconduct, according to law enforcement sources. Chicago police were outside his home waiting to talk to him about those allegations shortly before they found him dead, one source said.
The officer suffered a gunshot wound to the head, authorities said. His name was not being released, but he lived in the 900 block of West 129th Place.
He was a 26-year veteran and was assigned to the Calumet District.
The Cook County medical examiner's office said the officer suffered an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Officers at the scene referred all questions to a police spokesman.
Neighbors described the block as a quiet one where many police officers live.
A friend and neighbor, LaShereia Scales, said the officer was married to a woman who was in the military and stationed in San Diego.
Scales, 26, said she first met the police officer 10 years ago while living in the West Pullman neighborhood. She had called police for assistance and the officer happened to be the one who responded, she said.
The officer would attend neighborhood parties, bring his music collection and act as an informal DJ, she said.
She said the officer pushed her to receive training as an emergency medical technician.
"He encouraged me to go back to school," she said. "I'm graduating this summer."
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McClatchy-Tribune News Service
