A Chicago police officer has been released from a local hospital after he was shot on Thursday afternoon, making him the fourth officer hit by gunfire in the last two weeks alone.
The officer, who has not been identified at this time, was pursuing a suspect who had allegedly shot a security guard at a Brighton Park Home Depot location on Thursday afternoon when the gunman opened fire, striking the officer in the shoulder.
The officer was rushed to Mount Sinai, where he was treated and released.
As the officer was released from the hospital, his fellow officers offered him a remarkable show of support, lining up outside the hospital to pay their respects as he continues his recovery.
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The guard that was shot during the incident is hospitalized and fighting for their life on Wednesday night. The suspect accused of shooting both individuals was pronounced dead when he arrived at an area hospital shortly after the incident.
Police believe that the guard confronted the gunman at the store over an alleged shoplifting incident, and after a struggle between the two individuals, the gunman opened fire.
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Superintendent David Brown offered words of support for both the guard and for the wounded officer on Wednesday, saying that the last two weeks have been extremely difficult for the department.
“I get questions all the time about what the department is doing about violence, and what the department is doing about shootings,” he said. “What we are doing is risking our lives every day.”
The officer is the fourth to be shot in the last two weeks in Chicago. On March 14, an officer was shot near the 6th District police station in the city’s Gresham neighborhood. The officer suffered a graze wound to the face, and was released from the hospital that evening.
An off-duty officer was shot the very next day in the Calumet Heights neighborhood, but has since recovered. On Saturday, another officer was shot in the city’s Austin neighborhood on the West Side. She was treated and released from an area hospital, authorities said.
Investigations into the shootings remain ongoing, according to Chicago police.
