Officer Shot In Hand In South Austin; Suspect Surrenders After Barricading Himself Inside Building
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Chicago Police officer was shot in the hand while on duty in the South Austin neighborhood on Saturday, and a suspect was later arrested after holding police in a standoff.
This makes the third time this week a CPD officer has been shot.
As CBS 2's Marissa Parra reported, a female officer was shot in this latest incident and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital from the scene.
The person who police believe was on the other end of the gun surrendered after an hours-long standoff.
Just before noon, chaos erupted in South Austin.
"There were cars speeding away," said police Supt. David Brown.
Officers were in the 100 block of North LaCrosse Avenue responding to a call of shots fired in the area when someone from nearby began shooting at officers from a window.
"We believe a first-floor window – but an elevated first floor window – firing at our officers," Brown said. "Our officers did return fire."
It is unclear if the gunman was involved in the initial shooting that led to the shots fired call.
"As our officers were responding, an offender shoots at one of our officers, hitting her in the hand," Brown said.
Police said the gunman then barricaded himself within a building at 207 N. LaCrosse Ave. with multiple apartments inside.
"We evacuated the house," Brown said. "We are interviewing all of the people who were in there. Some were just innocent bystanders, just at home."
Neighbors in the area were also evacuated. Crisis negotiators on the scene worked to coax the gunman into eventual surrender.
A gun was recovered at the scene.
The female officer became the 16th Chicago Police officer to be shot or shot at this year, and the third shot in just the past week.
On Monday, an off-duty officer was shot and seriously wounded in the Calumet Heights neighborhood. The off-duty officer was at a light at 89th Street and Stony Island Avenue when two people in a Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross started shooting directly at his vehicle.
The officer was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center following the shooting. A doctor at the hospital said the officer sustained a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
On Sunday, a CPD officer was shot outside the Gresham (6th) District police station and suffered a graze wound to the chin. The sergeant, a 26-year-veteran of the department, was released from the hospital Sunday night.
"These brave men and women run towards danger to protect the people of Chicago," Brown said.
In the latest incident, police late Saturday were working to confirm if the man who surrendered was in fact the same person who shot the officer in the hand.
The officer who was shot Saturday was released from the hospital late in the afternoon.
Another officer was also taken to the hospital with chest pains, and was also expected to recover.
