School was canceled for all students in south suburban Alsip Thursday as police search for an armed man who exchanged gunfire with Chicago police overnight.
A message posted to Alsip School District 126’s website said classes were canceled a “precautionary measure due to a community emergency situation.”
“No one is in danger, but to keep our children and parents safe, we are cancelling school,” the statement read, adding that classes are expected to resume Friday.
The suspect is one of three who fired at officers on Chicago’s South Side before leading them on a chase into the south suburbs. The two other suspects were in custody Thursday morning as the hunt continued for the third.
Police responded to the 11800 block of South Lowe in Chicago's West Pullman neighborhood around 2:40 a.m. after officers on patrol heard gunshots from a rifle and another caliber weapon.
Upon arrival, officers saw men inside a silver Toyota firing at a group of individuals in the street. A 22-year-old man had been shot in the leg by the men, according to police.
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Then men then turned the gunfire to the officers, but no one was hit, police said. One of the officers returned fire, but missed as well.
The car of men then sped off, racing westbound on 119th before crashing on the side of the road in the 4400 block of West 119th Street in Alsip, police said.
Three men got out of the vehicle and began to lead officers on a foot chase. Two of the men were caught by police, but the third suspect had not been found by Thursday morning.
One weapon was recovered in the crashed vehicle, police said.
Surrounding roads on Lowe and 118th and 119th streets were blocked off as Area South detectives continue to investigate the shooting.
