Officer Nathaniel Taylor Jr. was shot Sunday as officers attempted to execute a search warrant.

Lamar Cooper, 37, was charged this evening with murder.

From the Sun-Times:

Cooper, who was shot by officers, was in “stable” condition at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County.

Several officers were conducting surveillance and waiting to serve a warrant at Cooper’s home in the 7900 block of South Clyde early Sunday when the suspect pulled up in a car, according to police.

Several sources said the officers announced their office and Cooper opened fire. He had two packets of drugs in his mouth — possibly cocaine — in an apparent attempt to destroy evidence, sources said. The suspect’s handgun was recovered at the scene, police said.

This is incredibly sad.

This is not the time for politics.  This is not the time for ranting.

This is a time for silence – a profound pause – as we let this sink in.  An officer is dead, and his family begins to feel the loss.

And the Chicago Police Department has lost a colleague.  Every cop in the Chicagoland area has lost a brother.