By Police1 Staff
CHICAGO — A veteran officer of the Chicago Police Department took her own life Wednesday morning, according to the department.
The 54-year-old officer was found in her personal vehicle in a Far South Side parking lot just before her shift was about to begin, Fraternal Order of Police president Kevin Graham told NBC. She appeared to have died by gunshot wound.
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“Heartbreaking news for the #ChicagoPolice department this morning,” Chicago Police Assistant Director of News Affairs and Communications Tom Ahern tweeted. “Please keep this officer’s family and fellow officers of @ChicagoCAPS05 in your prayers.”
According to a report by the Department of Justice, the officer-suicide rate in Chicago may be as much as 60 percent higher than the average rate among police departments.
This is the third officer suicide for the Chicago PD in the last three months, and the second to take place outside the Far South Side station, ABC reported.