Chicago police shoot suspect who fired at officers in South Shore
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago police shot a suspect who they said shot at officers after a foot chase in the South Shore neighborhood on Saturday.
The Chicago Police Department said the shooting took place in the 2400 block of East 72nd Street.
No officers were injured during the incident.
CPD interim Supt. Fred Waller said officers were conducting a narcotics investigation shortly before 7 p.m. when a suspect fled and after the foot chase, fired at officers.
Police then returned fire and struck the suspect in the left flank. He was taken to a hospital and was in critical condition after surgery.
The officers involved were "fine," Waller said.
Witnesses told CBS 2's Sara Machi they heard several shots and saw one man on the ground.
Neighbors were shocked and demanding answers. CBS 2 heard from multiple people who said police shot a man in the back. They were questioning the officers' actions.
Police set up a large perimeter in the moments after this incident, taping off multiple blocks in every direction near 72nd and Exchange.
Neighbors said the man was shot several times. One woman provided CBS 2 with a photo, although his face has been blurred since he has not been charged with anything.
The witness, who didn't want to be identified, said she was on her way to a restaurant when she saw the police get out of a car, following a man in the street, then heard three gunshots.
She said she ran to find out what happened with others asking police why they shot the man. She said an officer told them the man had a gun.
The witness said she saw the man handcuffed on the ground, police kneeling, but no ambulance there, so she called 911 herself. She was upset about the way the incident was handled.
"Yeah, they shot him down like a dog," she said. "Yeah, that's bogus. You don't shooting nobody while they're running. I don't care if he did have a gun. He was running and his back was turned."
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability confirmed it was responding to the scene. Anyone with information related to the incident is asked to call 312-746-3609 or visit ChicagoCOPA.org.
Waller said officers' body cameras were rolling on the incident.
Police also recovered a weapon and narcotics.
A CPD officer was injured after the squad car he was in while he was responding to the shooting flipped. Police said the officer was in fair condition and not seriously hurt.
