3 shot in Englewood as CPD announces it has added 1,000 new police officers

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Chicago Police Department announced a milestone Monday in hiring new officers to keep people safe.

The announcement came after three people were shot on Chicago's South Side Monday morning.

The shooting took place at about 1:12 a.m. in the 5600-block of South Princeton Avenue in the South Side Englewood neighborhood. Police said the victims were in a stairwell of an apartment building when a gunman started shooting them during an argument and then fled.

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A 37-year-old man was shot twice in the abdomen and once in the pelvis and was transported to University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition. A 29-year-old man was shot in the thigh and was transported to Stroger Hospital in stable condition and a 42-year-old man was shot in the thigh and taken to University of Chicago Medical Center.

No one is in custody in connection with the shooting.

This shooting came just hours before Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson announced that the city has successfully added more than 1,000 new officers to the department since the start of their hiring push last year. The city credits these officers with a drop in violent crime over the last two years.

"Over the past two years, the city has embarked on an incredible journey to transform the department, adding more than 1,000 new officers to be the change, embody the values of this great city and keep all of our residents safe," said Mayor Emanuel. "The officers entering the Academy today are part of this great milestone that represents not just a safer Chicago, but a brighter future in every neighborhood.

"Our two-year journey toward adding over 1,000 of Chicago's best and brightest to protect and serve our neighborhoods culminates with today's class of police recruits, and represents the effort to create a diverse force reflecting the neighborhoods we serve throughout our great city," said CPD Superintendent Eddie Johnson.

CPD says they are continuing to recruit and work on plans to reduce crime around the city.