Malissa Torres off duty Chicago Police officer shoots self dead at Near North Side police station as Police Department cites ‘on the job’ mental health trauma.
An off-duty Chicago police officer who was found deceased as a result of a self inflicted gunshot wound was found inside the city’s 18th District station overnight according to reports.
Malissa Torres, 34, of Chicago, was found circa 2.30 a.m inside the Near North Side police station, at 1160 N. Larrabee St. overnight, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner.
According to a police source, the female officer died after a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A death investigation was underway, police said.
On the job ‘mental health trauma’ of police officers
‘The Chicago Police Department is mourning the tragic loss of an officer within the 18th District station,‘ CPD said in a statement. ‘Our officers are human, and we cannot forget that they face the same challenges as everyone else while balancing the difficulties that come with being a police officer.’
‘We ask the public to keep this officer’s family and her fellow officers in your prayers as we grieve this unimaginable loss,’ the statement went on to say.
According to law enforcement sources, Officer Torres, who worked in in the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) unit, was found in a first-floor bathroom with an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
‘She was a very warm and welcoming person,’ a police officer who worked with her told the Chicago Sun-Times.
On the job trauma may have taken toll on off duty Chicago cop
The 18th District station is closed for service as the investigation continues, police said. Service calls within the district are being handled by nearby districts.
It remained unclear what led to the Chicago police officer taking their own life. Nevertheless police alluded to on the job trauma taking a toll on workers.
‘Officers are human beings,’ CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling told Chicago’s Eyewitness News. ‘What they want is support. I want them to take care of themselves. I want them, that when they need help, to ask for it. And I don’t want them to be afraid to do that. And I want them to know that, while they’re out there doing that work, that I support them 100% because most people have no idea what those officers are dealing with and what they go through.’
He said there is a level of mental health trauma that officers deal with on a daily basis and if that is not handled properly, those who put their lives on the line are being neglected.
He released an internal memo Thursday that said, “Grief affects each of us in different ways, and I ask that you each take the time to check in with one another today.”
A procession took place Thursday morning from the hospital to the Medical Examiners office.
