Two Chicago police officers were shot in suburban Lyons after another officer’s gun accidentally discharged while trying to apprehend a suspect, according to authorities.
Two Chicago police officers were shot in suburban Lyons after another officer's gun accidentally discharged while trying to apprehend a suspect, according to authorities.
According to Chicago Police Supt. David Brown, a license plate reader on DuSable Lake Shore Drive triggered an alert Wednesday evening. That reader identified a vehicle that was wanted in connection with a homicide in the city.
A Chicago police helicopter began to follow the vehicle, along with CPD ground units. At one point, the vehicle lost site of the car, but the helicopter maintained contact, and guided police to a Citgo gas station in suburban Lyons.
Once there, officers surrounded the vehicle. At that point, when the suspects in the case emerged from the gas station, a struggle ensued.
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During that struggle, an officer's gun accidentally went off, according to Brown. That gunshot struck two Chicago police officers, one in the shoulder and one in the hand.
Both officers were taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to officials.
Two suspects, a man and a woman, were taken into custody, and a weapon was recovered from their vehicle, which authorities say was stolen from Naperville. That gun was not fired during the altercation, and the suspects did not have the weapon during the struggle, Brown confirmed.
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It is not clear whether either of the suspects that were taken into custody were involved in the homicide that triggered the alert on DuSable Lake Shore Drive.
Lyons Police Chief Thomas Herion said charges are pending against the pair for possession of a weapon, possession of narcotics and possession of a stolen vehicle.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability will investigate the accidental discharge, according to police.
The investigation has closed Ogden Avenue between Joliet Avenue and Lawndale Avenue, according to authorities. Motorists are being advised to use alternate routes.
