An off-duty Chicago police officer fired shots from two firearms at the same time during an altercation in Little Village early Sunday, according to a preliminary report released by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, leaving at least one man injured.
The newly disclosed details shed light on the incident, in which at least one man was shot by the officer, near 24th and Rockwell.
According to COPA’s preliminary investigation, the incident began around 12:48 a.m. when the off-duty officer encountered a group of people while driving in the 2600 block of West 24th Street. The officer exchanged words with one person in the group before opening fire, the agency said.
The officer then drove east to the 2300 block of South Rockwell Street, exited the vehicle, and fired additional shots from two firearms simultaneously in the direction of the earlier incident, according to COPA. One person was struck by gunfire and taken to a hospital. A second person was also hospitalized with injuries related to the incident. The off-duty officer was treated for minor injuries and released in good condition. CPD said the officer would be placed on routine administrative duties for at least 30 days, per department policy.
COPA said its investigators have obtained video showing both the initial interaction and the officer firing shots at both locations. The agency said it will release the footage and other materials within 60 days, unless barred from doing so by court order.
There are notable differences between COPA’s preliminary findings and the information initially released by the Chicago Police Department. CPD said the confrontation began when a man from the group approached the officer’s vehicle, physically engaged with him, and struck him in the face. COPA’s account makes no mention of the officer being struck, describing only an “exchange of words.”
The agencies also differ in their descriptions of the injuries. COPA said one person was struck by gunfire, while CPD said a second person who had been shot in the arm later arrived at Mount Sinai Hospital for treatment.
Neither COPA nor CPD mentions firearms being possessed by anyone in the group, including the man who was shot, even when the officer allegedly opened fire with two guns at once.
The shooting came after two earlier reports of gunfire in the immediate area. In one incident, a resident reported that a bullet had damaged his property as a group described over police radio as “gang members” gathered in the neighborhood. As officers spoke with the homeowner, they radioed that shots had been fired nearby. Those shots continued intermittently for roughly a minute before the off-duty officer called 911 and declared a “10-1” — the police code signaling an emergency involving an officer.
Anyone with information or video related to the incident is asked to contact COPA at 312-746-3609 or through ChicagoCOPA.org.
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