- Credibility:
PILSEN — Two people were shot early Friday morning during a shootout with police officers in Pilsen.
The shooting occurred around 6:53 a.m. in the 1000 of West 18th Street, police said.
Two officers from the Major Accidents Division were driving to a police training academy when they came across four people, wearing masks and standing outside a closed store, Supt. David Brown said at a press conference Friday, citing preliminary information.
When one of the officers identified himself, one person in the group took out a gun and there was “an exchange of gunfire,” Brown said. Brown said their preliminary information indicates the person in that group shot at the officers first.
Brown said police got out of the car and returned fire as the shooter ran away from them, continuing to shoot.
A 23-year-old man in the group was wounded during the exchange, Brown said. He was listed in serious condition at Stroger Hospital, Brown said.
A 35-year-old man, whom Brown described as a bystander, suffered a graze wound to his leg. Brown said he is in good condition.
Brown said it was not immediately clear whose gunshots wounded the two men and police have to complete a “thorough investigation of ballistic evidence” to know for sure.
“We do know who was wounded … we’re still not sure by [whom],” Brown said.
The person who shot at the officers fled the scene and has not been arrested, Brown said. Three people — a 20-year-old man, a 23-year-old man, and a 17-year-old boy — are in custody and being questioned, Brown said.
The shooting occurred along a busy stretch of 18th Street near Morgan Street, home to numerous local shops, restaurants and an elementary school.
No gun was recovered from the scene.
The shooting is being investigated by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability.
The officers involved are from the same district as Jamie Avila, who was shot five times and seriously wounded July 1 in what Brown called an “ambush.”
A 27-year-old man was charged with attempted murder. Avila returned home from the hospital and is recovering, according to his family.
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