Off-duty CPD officer shoots man during fight in Little Village, Chicago police say

An off-duty Chicago police officer shot and wounded a man who hit him during a fight in the Little Village neighborhood early Sunday, morning, police said.

Police said the off-duty officer later fired again at the group with which the man was standing.

Chicago police said, at 12:48 a.m. on Sunday, an off-duty CPD officer was driving in the 2600 block of West 24th Street, near Rockwell Street, when he stopped his vehicle and started talking with a group on the sidewalk.

A man standing with the group approached the officer's vehicle and got into a physical fight with the officer, hitting him in the face, police said. The officer fired his gun at the man, and struck him twice, police said.

The man who hit the officer and was shot was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in fair condition and was in police custody, police said. Another man standing with the group suffered an injury to the arm and later took himself to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition, police said.

After the incident, the officer drove a short distance down the street, stopped his car, got out, and fired shots in the direction of the group, police said.

The officer was taken to an area hospital for injuries he suffered during the fight, police said.

The shooting put neighbors in the line of the crossfire.

"I was sleeping on my side, and I heard the bullets, but then I heard something just like 'pop, pop, pop,' so it ricocheted in like my trajectory," Nancy said.

Nancy, who didn't want to use her last name for safety concerns, said a bullet came inside her home and went through a wall just inches from her head.     

Her sister, Cathy, was in the other room.

"Imagine if I opened the door this morning, she would have been dead in her bed," Cathy said of her sister. "I woke up to the sound of people screaming and shouting, and I heard about seven gunshots."

Nancy said she has faced damage to her property from gunfire before, and she does not like it at all.

"Once it goes into your bedroom, or property damage — this is not the first time — like, my car got shot up like three-ish years ago," she said. "Luckily, I have insurance. They covered it. But like, it's personal." 

Police sources say the off-duty officer's mom had a prior conflict with the group of guys he was going after.

There is no evidence of the man who was wounded himself firing shots at the officer, but there is plenty of surveillance video in the area, including a police pod camera at the intersection.    

A heavy police response was spotted at the scene. Officers were focused on a white Jeep that was seen with the doors open, and several yellow evidence markers were seen surrounding the Jeep.

There was also another dark gray sport-utility vehicle inside the crime scene. It was unclear how the cars were involved in the investigation.

Nancy and Cathy questioned why the officer thought it was a good idea to fight a group of people in the first place. They are considering moving after living in Chicago for decades.

"This was it. This topped it. So, like, who wants to live in the city at this point?" Nancy said. 

The police Investigative Response Team and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability were investigating.

The officer involved will be placed on administrative leave for 30 days as per protocol, police said.