Chester Cop Home After Being Shot

Teen charged in connection to shooting

A Chester police and housing officer went from the hospital Wednesday -- a day after Sgt. Luis Rodriguez was shot in the arm during a gunfight that killed one suspect and injured two others Tuesday afternoon.

The shooting happened inside a garage on the 300 block of Rose Street around 4:15 p.m. in what started as police responding to a robbery report.

Rodriguez was shot as a man tried to escape from a second-floor window. When other officers went inside the building, they were confronted by three men pointing guns at them, according to detectives.

A card game was going on inside the garage when armed men tried to rob the game, police said.

The officers fired, killing one of the men and injuring the two others -- one of the wounded is 16-year-old Shaquille Byrd, said authorities.

Byrd is being charged as an adult with murder, aggravated assault, assault on officers and related charges.

"I'm not saying he's not at fault or anything, I don't even know the circumstances, but nothing he could do could condone what just took place," said Tamika Benson, the teen's mother.

A 34-year-old man also wounded wasn't identified.

Later in the evening, the body of another man was found behind the building. Police think he may have also been involved in the alleged robbery.

Chester Mayor Wendell Butler has faced scrutiny as he tries to deal with deadly crime in his city.

The town of Chester is under a state of emergency right now due to the recent violence. Four people were killed over an eight-day period earlier this month -- including a two-year-old. People in five high-crime neighborhoods are not allowed on the streets from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. without a legitimate reason and you can't have a group of three or more people together without a permit.

During the state of emergency, police officers have been working shifts of 12 hours or more.

The area where this shooting happened doesn't appear to be included in state of emergency areas.

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