Officer shot, seriously wounded in Englewood traffic stop; suspect in critical condition
CHICAGO (CBS) – A Chicago Police officer is hospitalized after he was shot during a traffic stop on the city's South Side Sunday afternoon, according to officials.
Around 2 p.m., the officer initiated a traffic stop in an unmarked vehicle on the 6900 block of South Sangamon Street in Englewood.
The officer was shot in the arm and torso and was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center in serious but stable condition, according to CPD Supt. David Brown.
The male suspect was also shot and was transported to Advocate Christ Medical Center in critical condition. It is unclear how many times the suspect was struck, Brown said.
A firearm was recovered at the scene.
A male suspect was taken to Christ Hospital in critical condition.
— Shardaa Gray (@ShardaaGrayTV) June 5, 2022
Offender’s firearm recovered on scene. pic.twitter.com/vF3UmgTVOd
— Tom Ahern (@TomAhernCPD) June 5, 2022
Brown spoke with the officer and his team members following the incident.
"His team members are all shook as well. It's obviously the third time this week in Chicago officers have been shot. It's the second time a 7th District officer has been shot in the last seven days," he said.
According to Chicago Police, the officers were in an unmarked car, but in uniform, when they tried to make the traffic stop on Sangamon. The driver they were trying to pull over stopped at a dead end, got out of the car and started shooting at the officers.
They shot back.
Supt. David Brown wouldn't share details about the traffic stop, the offender he says is critically injured or the officer injured. instead focusing on what he calls a continued increase in brazen violence against Chicago Police.
"Offenders are brazen in harming officers," he said. "We've been repeatedly saying for the last two and half years now, offenders have shot at and shot officers at a 500% increase. The highest number of officers shot at are shot on record in Chicago. A 500% increase of offenders brazenly shooting at and shooting Chicago Police officers."
CBS 2 recently dug into the issue. At the end of March, we learned 11 officers had been shot or shot at. By June, that number doubled to 22 shot or shot at. This shooting brings the total number of officers shot in 2022 to five.
"It's a very, very difficult and dangerous job rendering this city safe," Brown said. 4
Two other officers were transported to area hospitals for observation, police said in a statement following the shooting.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability responded to the incident and will be conducting a comprehensive use of force investigation. All three officers that were in the car will be placed on routine administrative duties for 30 days.
A US Marshal and US Marshal K9 were also shot in Chicago in the last week.