North Riverside officers shot and killed a 41-year-old suspected bank robber after he reportedly ran from police and then used an elderly man as a human shield as police tried to arrest him during an incident at the North Riverside Plaza early on the afternoon of Dec. 27.
Paramedics transported Alfonso D. Lopez, of Berwyn, to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, where he was pronounced dead at 4:59 p.m., according to Police Chief Lane Niemann. No other bystanders or police officers were injured.
Police responded to the shopping center after receiving a report of an attempted bank robbery at TCF Bank, 7201 24th St., at 12:28 p.m. Officers reported locating a suspect, later identified as Lopez, walking north along a row of stores in the shopping center and ordered him to the ground.
Instead, according to police, Lopez pulled an object from his pocket and pointed it at the officers before running from them and entering Burlington Coat Factory, 2208 Harlem Ave. As officers chased Lopez around the store, he again reportedly pulled an object out of his pocket several times and point it at the officers.
As officers drew near, Lopez allegedly grabbed an elderly man and held a knife to him, using him as a human shield. When the elderly man pulled away, two officers shot Lopez, according to police.
Because the shooting involved a police officer, the case was turned over to the Illinois State Police Public Integrity Task Force.
Niemann also stated that the FBI believes Lopez may have been involved in the recent robbery of a bank in River Forest.
