Suspect shot after breaking into Chicago police facility during SWAT training exercise

Police say the offender used a fire escape to enter the 5th floor of the Homan Square facility before grabbing a gun

Police in Chicago say officers shot a suspect who scaled five stories on a fire escape to break into an evidence storage facility during a SWAT training exercise on Monday.

Initial reports stated that two people had been injured after several shots were fired inside the Homan Square police facility in the city’s west just before midday.

At a press conference on Monday afternoon, Chicago Police superintendent David Brown said an offender had approached the building and told an officer he was trying to retrieve personal property.

Ignoring the warnings from police, the suspect then climbed a fire escape to the fifth floor and entered an area where a SWAT training exercise was underway, Mr Brown told reporters.

A preliminary investigation indicated the offender grabbed two guns that had been placed on a table during the exercise and pointed them at officers.

“Obviously, someone coming from a stairwell outside startled everyone,” Mr Brown said. “Who is this person? Is this person associated with the training? We do have live actors sometimes who come in plainclothes.”

Chicago police cordoned off an area around Homan Square facility where an intruder was shot on Monday (Associated Press)

The Homan Square police facility is used to store evidence and conduct SWAT training exercises, police say (Google Maps)

Mr Brown said the weapons did not have live ammunition but would likely have contained pellets used during training exercises.

It was unclear whether the offender tried to shoot at the officers.

He was shot and wounded by officers, and taken to hospital where his condition was initially described as critical, according to WGN9.

Mr Brown said the man’s injuries were no longer considered as life-threatening during Monday’s press conference.

A police officer was taken to hospital with a sprained ankle incurred during the incident. He had not been shot, Mr Brown added.

The suspect has not yet been identified, but Mr Brown said he was from Waukegan, about 40 miles north of Chicago, and had an extensive criminal record.

It’s not yet known if he had any property at the storage facility, Mr Brown said.

The officers involved in the shooting were assigned to tactical units that provided security to City Hall and Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s home, Mr Brown said.

A total of 38 people were shot, including seven fatally, across the weekend in Chicago, according to ABC7.