CHICAGO, IL- WLS-7 in Chicago reports that an off-duty Chicago police detective was shot while attempting to intervene in a stabbing on the Northwest Side of the city on Tuesday, the Chicago Police Department officials said.
According to neighbors, a man and woman got into a “chaotic” fight on the sidewalk in a residential area. The afternoon kerfuffle turned around when witnesses heard what they described as a “blood-curdling scream.”
“This was a different kind of blood-curdling, shocking scream said Thomas Desenfants, who heard the mayhem from a neighboring basement office.
He then heard gunshots.
“You can’t mistake it. Once you hear it, you know what it is, and you know that something awful is happening,” Desenfants said.
Just after 2:20 p.m., an off-duty detective, whose name was not released, saw the woman being attacked and fired shots at the suspect, police said. Desenfants called 911 as he watched the detective try to stop the assault.
Police said the detective suffered a bullet graze wound to the leg during the scuffle. A Chicago Fire Department official said he was taken to Lutheran General Hospital and reported to be in fair condition after the incident.
Meanwhile, the suspect was later found dead in the minivan he escaped in, police said. The woman who he stabbed died on the scene. Officials said the intitial attack did not appear to be random.
A neighbor praised the officer for being in the right place at the right time.
“Oh, I’m very grateful the officer was there, but, unfortunately, I don’t think he was there in time. No fault of his own; he wasn’t even on duty at the time,” they said.
A Chicago PD spokesperson said the Chicago Civilian Office of Police Accountability and the Investigative Response Team responded to the incident. Per protocol, the officer involved will be placed on routine administrative duty for at least 30 days.
Neither the woman nor the suspect’s identities were released.
Comments