A Chicago police officer inadvertently shot another cop while firing at a fleeing car earlier this week in Englewood, the city’s police oversight agency reported Thursday.
The shooting happened around 7:30 p.m. Monday when officers tried to stop a driver in the 5600 block of South Shields Avenue, police previously reported. When the driver reversed and hit a squad car, officers opened fire and one of them was struck in the hand.
In a statement, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability said the officers were drawn to the area after police received a complaint of trespassing in the nearby 300 block of West 56th Place, where people were seen gathering in an alley on a surveillance camera. Several cops arrived in four unmarked cars and walked up to the group, which included a person driving a black sedan, COPA said.
The driver took off, crashing into one of the police vehicles, and two officers shot at the car, COPA said.
“It is believed that during this incident, a Chicago Police Officer discharged their weapon and inadvertently struck a fellow officer in the hand in the course of firing at the fleeing sedan,” said COPA First Deputy Chief Administrator Ephraim Eaddy. “There is currently no indication that shots were fired from the sedan, or by any other civilian and there are no reports of a gun recovered.”
The shooting was captured on body-worn camera “and investigators are attempting to identify and obtain additional video,” COPA said. No one was in custody.
Police rules strictly prohibit officers from firing into a moving vehicle “unless such force is reasonably necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm.”
Officers rushed the wounded cop to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was listed in good condition. During a news conference at the hospital, acting Supt. Fred Waller initially said it was unclear who fired the shots. He noted that police were looking into whether a crash around the same time near 95th Street and Princeton Avenue was related to the incident.
“I spoke to the officer,” Waller told reporters. “He is in good spirits at this time. I spoke to his parents who are here supporting him.”
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call (312) 746-3609 or visit ChicagoCOPA.org.
