A man is in critical condition after being shot by a Chicago Police officer in the Back of the Yards neighborhood on the South Side Saturday night.
Police responded to the 4700 block of South Ada for a gang disturbance at about 10:50 p.m., said Deputy Chief Carlos Velez, citing preliminary information. Officers saw several people, including a man armed with a handgun, Velez said.
When police responded to the scene, one man from the group began running, said Fraternal Order of Police spokesman Pat Camden. One officer got out of squad car and chased the man, Camden said.
“The officer repeatedly told him to drop his gun,” Camden said. “Instead, he turns with the gun and points it at the officer. He had no choice but to defend himself. And the officer opened fire.”
The 22-year-old man was shot three times, police said. A semi automatic handgun was also recovered from the scene, according to Velez.
Police chased the man on foot to 48th Street. The man then ran east and then north into an alley, police said.
The man was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he is listed in critical condition, Velez said.
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Edgar Chino, 22, said he moved to his home near 47th and Ada just a week ago from Fullerton and Pulaski, where he recalls two people being shot. He was walking home right before the shooting and was on the phone with his wife when she heard gunshots and told him to be careful.
“I heard there is a lot of gang activity here,” Chino said. “Everywhere it’s the same thing.”
The Independent Police Review Authority is investigating the shooting, spokesman Larry Merritt said.
