CHICAGO — Two Chicago police officers were injured and a suspect wounded in a shootout early Sunday morning during a traffic stop, officials said.
The officers, who have not been identified, were conducting a traffic stop around 2:30 a.m. when they saw a gun in the vehicle, WLS reported.
The officers broke the car window when the suspect refused to get out of the vehicle. The suspect got into a struggle with officers while they tried to take him into custody. The suspect fired multiple shots, hitting both officers. A third officer then opened fire, striking the suspect.
Officials said the officers are in their 20s and have been on the force two years. One officer was taken to a hospital in serious condition with gunshot wounds to the chest, side and back. The other officer was shot in the shoulder and chest and taken to a hospital for treatment and is in good condition.
The suspect was taken to a hospital in critical, but stable, condition.
The officers were wearing body cameras and the footage is being reviewed by investigators, WLS reported. The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is also investigating the shooting. The officers are on paid administrative leave for 30 days, which is routine.
“And I know having been around law enforcement for a very long time and been around the heroic men and women of the Chicago Police Department, the only people who are qualified based upon their training, supervision and courage to respond to a person with a gun, or to respond when our residents are in danger, the only people qualified to do that are the police,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said. “So we should have that discussion, but let’s be clear-eyed about what the dangers are that not only exist for our residents, but also for law enforcement.”