Gunman escapes, innocent bystander grazed during police-involved shootout in Pilsen; 3 others in custody
CHICAGO (CBS)-- Two people, including an innocent bystander, were wounded in a shootout Friday morning in the Pilsen neighborhood, after a group of masked people opened fire on police officers who stopped to question them, prompting police to return fire.
Police Supt. David Brown said, at 6:53 a.m., two officers with the Major Accident Investigation Unit were driving to the police academy for training, when they spotted a group of four people wearing masks and loitering outside a closed store near 18th and Morgan streets.
When one of the officers identified himself as police, one person in the group pulled out a gun and started shooting, prompting the officers to shoot back.
"They were masked up, obviously armed, and once our officer identified himself as a police officer, they began pulling a gun and shooting at our officers, trying to kill them," Brown said.
After the initial exchange of gunfire, the officers got out of their car, and the shooter ran off, continuing to fire at police.
One person in the group, a 23-year-old man, was shot and was in serious condition at a local hospital.
An innocent bystander, a 35-year-old man, also was grazed by a bullet, and was taken to a hospital in good condition. Brown said it's unclear if that person was shot by police or by the gunman who opened fire on officers.
The officers involved were not wounded, but they were taken to the hospital for observation.
The gunman got away, but the other three people in the group with him were arrested, including the 23-year-old man who was shot, a 20-year-old man, and a 17-year-old boy. Detectives were questioning them Friday afternoon.
Brown said, so far this year, 36 Chicago police officers have been shot at or shot.
"This incident is a stark reminder of the dangers officers face each and every day at any given moment," Brown said.
One witness, who asked to remain anonymous, said she heard the gunfire, and at first thought they were fireworks, but she took cover behind a car when she realized what it was.
"One after the other after the other, and I'm like, 'Oh, this isn't fireworks,'" she said.
The witness said she was so shaken, she had to call out of work.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is investigating the police shooting, and the two officers involved will be placed on 30 days' administrative duty, as is standard procedure when officers fire their weapons on duty.
