Chicago police officer shot in vest, 2 others injured in exchange of gunfire in Morgan Park: CPD

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A Chicago police officer was shot in his vest and two other people were injured in an exchange of gunfire on the city's South Side early Sunday, officials said.

The officer was briefly hospitalized, but ABC7 was told he was at home resting Sunday night. The Chicago Police Department breathed a collective sigh of relief. If not for the officer's protective vest, it might have been a very different story.

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Chicago police said officers responded to a disturbance call in the Morgan Park neighborhood's 11400-block of South Davol Street just before 1 a.m.

Responding officers found a group of people, including two men, 35 and 18 years old, who were involved in an altercation, police said.

Police said as officers tried to separate the men, an offender's gun went off, striking a victim and an officer's protective vest.

Another officer returned fire, striking the offender and accidentally striking the victim, CPD officials said.

The 18-year-old victim was transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center in fair condition.

The 35-year-old offender was taken to Christ Hospital in fair condition. Charges against the offender are still pending as they remain in police custody.

The officer who was hit in his vest was also taken to a local hospital, but he has since been discharged.

"Luckily he's home," 19th Ward Alderman Matt O'Shea said. "When a vest stops a bullet, it stops the bullet but there's still damage. There is still a blunt force impact on the chest."

Speaking to ABC7 Sunday evening near where the shooting happened, Ald. O'Shea pointed out how dangerous it's become for officers, who are responsible for replacing their own vests, to respond to even the most routine calls.

"If not for the vest, we might be planning a funeral here," O'Shea said. "Where the bullet struck was literally an inch away from the Chicago Police Memorial foundation emblem which is sown on every vest. And the Chicago Police Memorial foundation will be stepping up and replacing that vest."

Following protocol for all police-involved shootings, the officers involved will be placed on desk duty for 30 days before returning to the streets.

CPD's Investigative Response Team and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability are investigating the incident.

COPA asked anyone with information to call them at 312-746-3609 or visit https://www.chicagocopa.org/.

Further information was not immediately available.

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