Chicago police officer shot in Back of the Yards neighborhood

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A Chicago police officer was shot during an armed confrontation in the Back of the Yards neighborhood Friday, Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.

The shooting occurred near 46th Street and Ashland Avenue at around 1:30 p.m., police said. The incident happened outside a cell phone store and may have stemmed from an armed robbery.

The officer was shot in the left knee and is conscious and alert, Guglielmi said. She was initially taken to Mercy Hospital and then transferred by to Stroger Hospital with police escorting the ambulance she was traveling in.

She is in good spirits, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said, but she will be held at the hospital overnight for observation.

A number of officers are gathered at the hospital as a show of support, but from all indications, the officer is expected to be okay.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel spoke with the wounded officer by phone. The Mayor's Office said he ran with her when she was at the CPD Academy a few years ago.

ABC7 was told the shooting happened outside a cell phone store and may have stemmed from an armed robbery.

Police said they have two people in custody. One was described as a suspect and the other was described as a person of interest.