A Chicago police officer remained hospitalized late Wednesday morning after he and another officer were shot on-duty in what authorities believe was a targeted attack.
It was around 9:15 p.m. when police say two 9th District officers were ambushed near 43rd and Ashland in the Back of the Yards neighborhood on the city's South Side.
The officers were in a car, in plainclothes, following up on an earlier gang investigation at the time of the shooting, police said.
Chicago Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said both officers "were targeted" in the attack.
One of the officers, multiple sources confirmed, is the son of a deputy chief.
Further information on the officers wasn't being released because "there are high security concerns" for both men.
Two CPD officers shot during encounter. Transported to Stroger in serious condition. Superintendent responding to hospital. Updates to follo
— Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) May 3, 2017
Kevin Graham, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, said the officers were shot "without provocation."
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The shooting prompted an all-out manhunt for the suspects.
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Within minutes, a helicopter searched for suspects from the sky while a canine unit and dozens of boots were on the ground. Chicago police called in massive resources to chase the suspects down.
Three persons of interest were being questioned as of early Wednesday morning while an extensive search remained ongoing.
"We will get them," Johnson said, vowing to bring the shooters to justice.
Authorities believe the officers may have been hit by rifle fire, or some other high-powered weapon.
The officers were able to return fire, Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson said, but it was not clear if they hit anyone. He added that an assault rifle was recovered from a vehicle seized by police Tuesday night.
The wounded officers were taken to Stroger Hospital where their conditions ultimately stabilized, Guglielmi said. One officer was shot in the hip and arm, the other was shot in the back.
"They are doing quite well, thank God," Johnson said at the time.
By Wednesday afternoon, both officers had been released from the hospital.
Gulielmi said that "while there is no specific threat to the officers," heightened security was ordered for both, "given what we know thus far about the incident."
Mayor Rahm Emanuel in a tweet called the shootings a "frightening reminder of the dangers our dedicated officers face."
Emanuel was at Stroger and spoke with the officers and their families, Johnson said.
Police said Wednesday that incidents involving shots fired against police have risen over the past couple years.
In 2015, 18 incidents were reported while in 2016 31 incidents were reported. So far this year, there have been at least six incidents.
"This latest unprovoked attack on police officers doing nothing more than carrying out their sworn duties highlights yet again the dangers police officers in Chicago and all across the country are faced with every day," Graham said in a statement. "I hope politicians and the media realize how dangerous police work truly is and what courage officers demonstrate each and every day, as this shooting illuminates. We ask citizens of good will everywhere to pray for their speedy recovery.”
