Chicago — Two Chicago police officers were shot early Sunday morning. The officers responded to a “shots fired” alert from ShotSpotter, the city’s gunshot detection system, according to the Chicago Tribune. One officer was in critical but stable condition and the other officer was listed in good condition.
The suspect who allegedly shot the two officers was shot by the police. His condition is not known at this time. Mayor Lori Lightfoot said, “Thankfully, none of the injuries are life-threatening to either the officers or the offender. But it just underscores the danger that our men and women in the police department face every single day. They run to danger to protect us. And we can’t ever forget that.”
Superintendent David Brown said that officers observed a man in a vacant lot near the location indicated by the ShotSpotter alert. When the officers approached him, they were immediately fired upon.
“They were in uniform, clearly Chicago police officers, and this offender had no regard for their position as police officers — no regard — and began trying to kill them. Let’s be clear: This offender turned and immediately tried to kill these officers by firing a gun at them and hitting both of them. But for the good Lord’s grace that we’re not here talking about planning a funeral for our officers,” Brown said.
Brown announced at a Sunday morning press conference that there have been 16 Chicago police officers shot in the past 15 months and another 108 have been fired upon.
Mayor Lightfoot called for an end to violence in the city and asked others to “pray for peace in our city.”