Authorities: 18-year-old killed himself after exchanging shots with Aurora cop

An 18-year-old Aurora man who exchanged gunfire with police during a foot chase Tuesday night has died after shooting himself in the head, authorities said Wednesday.

Aurora police said the man ran from a vehicle after being pulled over around 8:40 p.m. at North Avenue and South Fourth Street. Police said they smelled cannabis inside the vehicle and asked the man to step out, at which point he began running west on Fourth Street.

During the ensuing foot chase, authorities said the suspect and a 37-year-old police officer exchanged gunfire. The officer has been placed on modified duty pending an internal investigation.

Illinois State Police also are conducting an independent investigation.

Police said they found the suspect in a backyard on the 200 block of LaSalle Street, where he was trying to enter a home. When officers confronted him, the man shot himself in the head, authorities said.

The man was taken to a hospital in Aurora, then airlifted to another suburban hospital where he died Wednesday morning.

No one else was injured, authorities said.

A 36-year-old female acquaintance of the 18-year-old was driving the vehicle that was pulled over. Police said she has not been charged and has fully cooperated with the initial investigation.

• Daily Herald staff writer Lee Filas contributed to this report.