A Chicago police officer was shot and killed Wednesday afternoon during a struggle with a suspect in a police facility parking lot,

police said

Officer Thor Soderberg was walking to his vehicle in the parking lot at 61st and Racine on the city's South Side, after completing a shift with the department's Operation Protect Youth program, when he encountered the offender, said James Jackson, assistant superintendent of police operations.

"The 24-year-old suspect disarmed the officer and then shot him," Jackson said at a news conference Wednesday night.

The department believes the suspect was involved in an armed robbery a short distance away from the shooting, where he fired additional shots, said Jackson.

"Several officers quickly responded and there was an exchange of gun fire with the offender. The suspect was shot. His injuries are non-life threatening," said Jackson.

The suspect was in stable condition at Advocate Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, according to a police spokesman.

Soderberg was 43-years-old and an 11 year veteran of the department, said Jackson.

He was most recently assigned to the department's education and training division.