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Officers were called about a car accident near Roosevelt Boulevard and Borbeck Avenue in Rhawnhurst just before 5 a.m., Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore told reporters in a press conference.
One officer spotted a Dodge pickup truck parked halfway on the Borbeck Avenue curb and approached the driver, who denied being in an accident and said he didn't need help, according to authorities.
When the officer began to drive away from the scene, Vanore said he heard multiple gunshots. The officer pulled over, took cover behind nearby parked vehicles, and called in for backup, officials said.
A SWAT team was dispatched to the scene and a barricade was declared, Vanore said. The man in the truck, thought to be in his 70s, threw some items from his vehicle during the standoff, authorities said.
When the SWAT team "experienced more gunfire," Vanore said they shot back. Medics later approached the truck and pronounced the man dead at the scene, but "who struck who" remains under investigation, according to the Deputy Commissioner.
Detectives are reviewing nearby surveillance footage and more details are to come, he added.
No police injuries were reported.
As of 7:30 a.m., officials said the southbound outer lanes of Roosevelt Boulevard are closed beginning at Rhawn Street as investigators work the scene. The southbound inner lanes and all northbound lanes are open for traffic.
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