CLTV plan extensive coverage today of the first police officer fatality since 2002.

From the Chicago Tribune:

A 27-year veteran Chicago police officer was shot and killed by a woman who grabbed his gun during a struggle outside a police headquarters on the North Side early Wednesday morning, Supt. Jody Weis said.

Officers who responded to the scene at Belmont and Western Avenues around 2 a.m., then shot the woman several times, critically wounding her, authorities said.

Belmont District Officer Richard Francis, 60, was taken to Illinois Masonic Medical Center and pronounced dead just before 3 a.m., the Cook County medical examiner's office said. The unidentified woman was being treated at the same hospital.

"Our focus right now is on his family. It's a tragic loss for his family. It's a terrible loss for the Chicago Police Department," Weis said in a brief statement outside the hospital. "It's a stark reminder of what the dangers this department and its officers face everyday."

CLTV reporter Regina Waldroup's report from Illinois Masonic Hospital where the woman is under armed guard:

Stay with CLTV as we follow this story throughout the day. We plan to carry live any news conferences or events related to this story.

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