Man wounded during shootout near car with off-duty Chicago police officers inside
CHICAGO (CBS) — A man was seriously wounded during a shootout overnight involving off-duty Chicago police officers in the Austin neighborhood. Several cars were damaged, and multiple homes were hit by bullets.
The shooting happened just before 1:30 a.m. Saturday in the 1000 block of South Mayfield Avenue.
Chicago police said a vehicle occupied by five people, including two off-duty police officers, was parked. A 26-year-old man got out of the vehicle, at which point a person in another vehicle began shooting in their direction.
Two people in the vehicle, including an off-duty officer, returned fire, according to police. The person who fired the first shots fled the scene.
A Chicago Fire Department source said the man who was shot was being dropped off when the shootout occurred. The victim was accidentally shot by someone in the car he was in. The vehicle was pulled over by Oak Park police while taking the victim to the hospital.
The victim was shot in the arm, breaking two bones and nicking an artery. He didn't want to go on camera, but told CBS News Chicago what happened.
He said he had just gotten out of a car and was walking into his home, when another car parked across the intersection, and someone from that car started firing shots at him.
The victim said he didn't hear the first shooter say anything before starting to fire. He said doesn't know who they are or why they shot him. He said the two off-duty officers he was with returned fire.
He had been with his family and friends just moments before the shooting. He said he ran so quickly that he left a shoe and firearm behind. He said, if it hadn't been for his friends – including two off-duty officers – he doesn't know if he would have survived, because they quickly rushed him to the hospital
Neighbors said there were so many bullets fired, they're lucky they weren't hit in their own homes.
"A bullet struck my window. I had my hand on the couch when fragments hit my hand and the bullet went like inches on top of me," one neighbor said.
The shootout left bullet holes through multiple windows and through the sides of several cars.
No one was in custody Saturday night. The Civilian Office of Police Accountability and the CPD Investigative Response Team were investigating the incident. The off-duty officer who fired shots has since been relieved of police powers as the investigation continues.
Anyone with information is asked to contact COPA at 312-746-3609 or visit Chicagocopa.com.
