Back of the Yards shooting: Chicago police officer shoots armed person after struggle, police say
CPD shooting leaves 1 critically wounded
CHICAGO (WLS) -- A Chicago police officer shot someone who was holding a gun Thursday night in the South Side Back of the Yards neighborhood, according to CPD.
Two officers from the Community Safety Team responded just after 11 p.m. to a ShotSpotter alert, which alerts law enforcement of gunfire, in the 5300-block of South May Street and found a group of people at the location.
Video from the scene shows tension between police and bystanders.
Officers struggled with an armed individual, and an officer shot the person, CPD said.
The suspect was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition.
A weapon was recovered, and there were no officers injured.
Sources have said the person wounded is a male suspect, but the person's age was unclear Friday morning.
One witness described those tense moments before police arrived. He said he lives by the scene and had just gotten home from work, as people were gathered nearby.
"We heard them down there having a good time, and then after that we heard shots firing, and after that it was like total chaos, total chaos," Harry Williams said. "So we were sitting in our home, and we heard a couple 'pow, pow, pows,' and all of a sudden we heard like over a hundred shots. It had to be an automatic weapon or an assault rifle. But it was so loud. I told my family to duck, you know, this was so close to home. You really need to take care right now because this is way too close."
Broken glass, crime scene tape and a single shoe could be seen in the area the next day.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is investigating the incident. Anyone with information is asked to call COPA at 312-746-3609.
The officer involved will be placed on routine administrative duties for 30 days.
