Chicago police officer, 16-year-old struck by gunfire as police try to disarm teen on Chicago's South Side
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Chicago Police officer and an armed teen were both struck by a bullet when a gun discharged as police tried to take it from the teen in Englewood Thursday afternoon.
Police Supt. Larry Snelling said at 12:30 p.m., officers performed an investigatory stop on a 16-year-old boy in the 5600 block of South Shields Avenue, and found the teen had a gun. Officers tried to take the handgun from the waistband in the teen's front, and the gun discharged.
The 16-year-old boy was shot in the groin area, and the same bullet struck the officer in the leg—leaving a through-and-through wound, Snelling said.
Neither the officer nor the teen fired any shots deliberately.
Sources said the officer was shot was brought to the University of Chicago Medical Center in a squad car. There was a very large police presence outside UChicago Medicine in Hyde Park Thursday afternoon.
The teen was taken to Stroger Hospital of Cook County. Snelling said both the officer and the teen were in good condition.
Snelling said the officer was first hired in 2018.
The superintendent said the incident was yet another example of the dangers officers face when confronting armed suspects.
"It's an extremely dangerous job. When we look at people who are armed with weapons, every one of those encounters has the potential to end with deadly force—on either side, on both sides," said Snelling.
Mayor Brandon Johnson also addressed reports outside UChicago Medical Center.
"This is yet another example of why it's important that law enforcement has all the tools it needs in order to provide the type of safety and security that the people of Chicago deserve, and it also is more evidence of why critical investments in this moment for our young people is crucial to building a better, stronger, safer Chicago," Johnson said.
The scene of the shooting is just steps from Jesse Sherwood Elementary School, 245 W. 57th St. It was not clear whether the school went on lockdown after the incident, but teachers many teachers at the school found their cars parked within the crime scene perimeter and had to move them.
Snelling said police have been able to review body camera footage of the incident. Detectives and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability are investigating the shooting.
The 16-year-old was in police custody late Friday night. It was unclear when the officer would be released from the hospital, but Supt. Snelling was expected.
A Chicago police officer was shot in the hand in the same block in Englewood in July 2023 during a traffic stop.
