At least four arrests have been made after 24-year-old Chicago Police officer Areanah Preston was killed in front of her own home in Avalon Park.
Preston worked for the Chicago Police Department for three years and was assigned to the Calumet District (5th). She was also pursuing a master’s degree in criminology from Loyola University Chicago and was set to graduate on May 13.
Four Arrests Made After Chicago Police Officer Areanah Preston Is Killed In Front Of Her Home
It is reported that in the early hours of Saturday (May 6), off-duty CPD officer Areanah Preston was shot to death in the 8100 block of South Blackstone Avenue, while returning home from work.
Police say Preston was shot to death around 1:42 a.m., and that they received their first notification of a person being shot at 2:15 a.m. An autopsy found that she died from multiple gunshot wounds above the breast, and her death was deemed a line-of-duty fatality.
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According to local law enforcement investigators, two people were apparently trying to rob Preston, and during an exchange of gunfire with the two suspects, she was shot.
Investigators added that her assailants initially drove past her in two separate cars, and then circled back around to pull up behind her car. While firing her gun in self-defense, the two suspects returned fire, hitting her twice, and also grazing her.
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It is also reported that at least one of the shooters may have used a gun that they converted into an automatic weapon, by using a device commonly known as a switch. Investigators added that the shooting was partially caught on camera via home surveillance.
It took more than 30 minutes for police to arrive to scene. Before ambulances and paramedics could get to Preston, a fellow police officer had already carried her to his squad car and rushed her to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where she later died.
On Sunday (May 7), four arrests were made after an hours-long, armed standoff at a home in the 7600 block of South Bishop Street in Auburn Gresham. A fifth suspect was separately apprehended; however, only four remain in custody.
It is reported that along with Chicago Police Department officials, SWAT officers were involved in the search and apprehension of Preston’s killers. It is still unclear if all of the suspects were directly involved in Preston’s shooting, and charges have yet to be announced.
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very sad story for the young officer. lock them away and throw away the key