Both the officer and suspect were wounded in the lower body when the teenage suspect's gun went off during a struggle.
Chicago police said 7th district officers made what they described as an investigatory stop of a 16-year-old boy around 12:30 p.m. Thursday in full view of neighbors in the 5600-block of South Shields Avenue.
Police said there was a struggle over a gun in the boy's waistband and a single shot was fired from the teen's weapon. Both the officer and suspect were wounded in the lower body.
"The weapon inadvertently discharged, striking the individual in the groin area. That same bullet is believed to have also struck the officer in the leg," Snelling said.
Officials provide update after CPD officer shot on South Side
Officials said that wounded officer, who was hired by CPD in 2018, was rushed here to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition.
"That's an extremely dangerous job, when we look at people who are armed with weapons, every one of those encounters has the potential to end with deadly force on either side, on both sides, so lives always in danger when officers are encountering individuals who are carrying guns illegally," CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling said. "So we have to make sure that we get the message out for people to cooperate with officers, but we also have to get the message out to let everybody understand the danger that officers are facing every day when they encounter armed individuals."
The injured teenager was taken to Stroger Hospital, also in good condition.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson also spoke at the afternoon press conference at the hospital.
"The job that our law enforcement does every single day requires a great deal of bravery and courage, and we're grateful for that, you know, and we have too many people who have access to guns, and that's something that is a not just a citywide problem, but a but a national problem," Johnson said.
Police have not yet said why the officers initially stopped the teen as the Civilian Office of Police Accountability is investigating the incident.
"We're careful about asking questions immediately upon the scene without our third party investigatory body," Snelling said.
"COPA was notified and responded to the scene of an officer-involved incident that resulted in the discharge of a weapon in the 5600 block of South Shields and initiated a preliminary investigation," a statement from COPA read.