A traffic stop Sunday in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood ended with a police officer shot and in serious condition, marking the second time in seven days a Chicago officer was shot during a traffic stop in that South Side neighborhood
At around 2 p.m., three Chicago police officers riding in an unmarked police car were conducting a traffic stop in the 6900 block of S. Sangamon in the city's Englewood neighborhood, police say.
According to Chicago Police Supt. David Brown, as the vehicle pulled into an alley with a dead end, the suspect exited the vehicle and began firing at officers.
One of the officers was struck twice by gunfire, in the chest and left arm. That officer was rushed to the hospital by their fellow officers in serious, but stable, condition.
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Police returned fire toward the suspect, striking them once. The suspect was taken to an area hospital in critical condition, officials say.
"It is heartbreaking that I had to notify our officers in Chicago Police for the second time this week that another officer has been shot and seriously wounded in the line of duty while protecting the people of this city," Brown said in a tweet Sunday.
Last Wednesday afternoon, two miles away, another office was shot while also attempting to perform a traffic stop.
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According to Brown, the officer and her partner were attempting to make a traffic stop in the 6100 block of South Paulina at approximately 5:42 p.m. when the suspects sped off from the scene.
After a short time, the suspects' vehicle slowed down and pulled alongside the marked CPD squad car. It was at that time that one of the suspects opened fire, striking the officer in the upper body.
The officer's partner managed to get in the driver's seat of the squad vehicle and drove her to a nearby hospital where she was initially listed in critical condition. She has since been upgraded to serious condition, Brown said.
According to police, the officer was struck in the shoulder, but bullet fragments also struck her in the head.
The suspects then fled the scene after their vehicle crashed nearby at the intersection of 64th Street and Bishop, police said.
One day later, officials said they identified a 28-year-old male suspect in Wednesday's shooting. He has not been charged.
Both officer-involved shootings are being investigated by Civilian Office of Police Accountability.
In a statement Sunday afternoon, Mayor Lori Lightfoot responded to both incidents, saying "Let me say again, every single day, on every watch, our brave men and women of the Chicago Police Department risk their lives for our safety. But I must ask again, when is enough, enough?"
"How many times must I, and my fellow mayors across the country, plead with the Senate to take action and end the easy access to illegal guns?" the statement continued. "How many officers and residents must be victims of gun violence before we act?"
There have now been 21 officers shot at so far, with four being struck, according to authorities. During a press conference Sunday, Brown said "in the past two-and-a-half years, an alarming number of of offices have been shot or shot at."
Both Brown and Lightfoot are expected to provide updates Monday on public safety.
Last August in West Englewood, Chicago Police Officer Ella French was killed and her partner seriously wounded while performing a traffic stop just blocks away, at 63rd Street and Bell Avenue.
