This undated photo provided by the Chicago Police Department on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019 shows Michael Blackman. Authorities say Blackman, suspected of shooting and wounding a Chicago police officer and of being the bicyclist who shot a woman in broad daylight near downtown days earlier is facing attempted murder charges. Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi announced the update Monday, Sept. 23 on Twitter, saying Blackman faces a total of four counts in Saturdayâs shooting of the officer and Wednesdayâs shooting of the bicyclist. (Chicago Police Department via AP)
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CHICAGO (AP) - A former fast-food delivery worker suspected of shooting a Chicago police officer and of being the bicyclist who shot a woman in broad daylight downtown days earlier was charged Monday with five counts of attempted murder.
Michael Blackman, 45, faces one count of attempted murder in the woman's shooting that happened Wednesday, one count for the Saturday morning shooting of the officer and three counts for shooting at other officers later Saturday, police said at a news conference Monday.
Investigators identified Blackman as a suspect in the woman's shooting after piecing together surveillance footage and after the Itasca Police Department, about 27 miles northwest of Chicago, identified Blackman as the man appearing in still photos that Chicago police released. The suburban department said he was wanted for burglary there.
Authorities say Blackman shot the officer in the leg and groin around 8:30 a.m. Saturday as police sought to arrest him, then fled. Officers eventually tracked him to a nearby railyard. Blackman was arrested after a shootout in which he was injured.
Blackman, the officer and the woman are expected to recover.
In his food delivery job, Blackman had confrontations with security in a building where the woman worked, and it's possible that was at least part of his motive for shooting her, Deputy Chief Brendan Deenihan said Monday.
"Security always had a problem with him at that building," Deenihan said. "He didn't have any confrontations with her."
Blackman was well enough to talk at the hospital, but he wouldn't answer investigators' questions, Deenihan said.
It wasn't immediately known if Blackman had a lawyer to comment on his behalf.
This undated photo provided by the Chicago Police Department on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019 shows Michael Blackman. Authorities say Blackman, who is suspected of shooting and wounding a Chicago police officer Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019, is the bicyclist suspected of shooting a woman in broad daylight near downtown earlier in the week. Both she and the wounded officer are expected to survive. (Chicago Police Department via AP)
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Authorities investigate the shooting of a police officer who was shot while serving a warrant on the city's South Side in Chicago, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. (Kevin Tanaka/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
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A police officer was shot while serving a warrant on the city's South Side in Chicago, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. A man suspected of shooting and wounding a Chicago police officer on Saturday and of being the bicyclist who shot a woman in broad daylight near downtown days earlier has been captured, police said. (Kevin Tanaka/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
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Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson gives an update on a police shooting at Christ Medical Center as Mayor Lori Lightfoot looks on in Oak Lawn, a suburb of Chicago on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. A man suspected of shooting and wounding a Chicago police officer on Saturday and of being the bicyclist who shot a woman in broad daylight near downtown days earlier has been captured, police said. (Kevin Tanaka/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
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Surgeon Jane Kayle Lee updates her patient status during a news conference on a police shooting, at Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, a suburb of Chicago on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019. Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, left, and Mayor Lori Lightfoot, right, stand beside her. A man suspected of shooting and wounding a Chicago police officer on Saturday and of being the bicyclist who shot a woman in broad daylight near downtown days earlier has been captured, police said. (Kevin Tanaka/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
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