Two Chicago police officers were shot Friday evening in the South Shore neighborhood, authorities said.
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The two officers were shot around 5 p.m. near East 79th Street and South Chappel Avenue and transported to University of Chicago Medical Center, according to Chicago Fire Department spokesperson Larry Merritt.
The altercation occurred after a traffic stop, Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said at a news conference. He said after the officers stopped a vehicle — which he described as “some type of homemade vehicle” — the driver fled the scene.
There was a struggle after officers caught up to him, Snelling said. He reached into a shoulder bag, removed a handgun and fired a round, striking an officer. The officer then returned fire and hit the man, Snelling said.
During the exchange of gunfire, the second officer was shot in the arm. Snelling said it’s under investigation if the second officer was shot by the suspect or an officer as well as what exactly caused the situation to escalate.
“All of that comes out in a full investigation,” Snelling said. “We want to make sure that there is a full investigation so we give you the most accurate facts.”
The officer who was shot in the arm is “doing well” after a successful surgery Friday evening, Snelling said. The other officer’s vest stopped the bullet.
“Thank God for his vest that saved his life under these circumstances,” Snelling said. “That officer is still in the hospital, being treated. It may stop the bullet, but it doesn’t stop the impact, and the officer is still seriously hurt. But will be fine.”
Snelling said other officers who arrived at the scene rendered aid to the officers and the man. The man was transported to a Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition, he said.
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A handgun was also recovered at the scene.
Snelling said the two injured officers have both been with the department for four years and described them as “very hardworking.” One is 30-years-old and the other 27.
“Our officers are working really hard out here to keep down violence, and they face this type of violence every single day,” Snelling said. “Their lives are always on the line, and you never know when a simple stop can turn deadly.”