Police shoot man on Far South Side

CHICAGO -- A police-involved shooting in the Washington Heights neighborhood on the Far South Side left one person critically wounded Saturday, officials said.

Police spent several hours collecting evidence, but have not released any information regarding the shooting, except to acknowledge that it was police involved.

Mikel Lumpkin, 26, was the third person shot by Chicago police Saturday and once again, people are questioning whether it was justified.

"If he listened to what the police asked him to do the first time, there was no reason for him to get shot five times," said the victim's girlfriend, Carlissa Wilson.

At about 1:30 p.m. Saturday, police responded to a call at 103rd and Aberdeen about an assault in progress. Friends say Lumpkin was in the midst of an altercation with his brother. Nobody disputes that he had a gun when police arrived, but residents here insist that when ordered to put it down he did.

"What family doesn't have incidents where they argue with each other, that's fine," James Wilson said. "Someone called the police, they were supposed to do their job, which was serve and protect. They didn't do that. They did the opposite of that. They shot this man five times. Even after he complied with what they asked."

Following the shooting SWAT officers were brought out to patrol the area where investigators spent hours collecting evidence. And while police are not commenting, Sharon Fairley, the new administrator of the Independent Police Review Authority, which is the agency that investigates police-involved shootings, spoke publicly for the first time, but would not release any information about the circumstances that led to either one.

"I understand that you all and all Chicagoans are anxious for answers as to what happened here. And we will provide any and all information at the appropriate time," Fairley said.

Lumpkin was recovering Saturday evening from his injuries at Advocate Christ Medical Center.