Man charged in West Garfield Park shooting witnessed by CPD officers

Several felony weapons charges have been filed against a West Side man after Chicago Police officers allegedly witnessed a West Garfield Park neighborhood shooting Thursday afternoon, prompting police to fire at the suspect.

Harrison District officers witnessed an argument that escalated into a shooting about 5 p.m. outside a store in the 4200 block of West Madison, according to a statement from Chicago Police.

The officers took a “tactical position,” and fired multiple times at the gunman, who was not shot, police said. The shooter, 29-year-old Christopher Younger Jr., was taken into custody.

Younger, who lives in the West Side Lawndale neighborhood, was charged Friday with two felony counts of aggravated assault against a police officer with a firearm; three felony counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm at an occupied vehicle; two felony counts of unlawful use or possession of a firearm by a felon; and three misdemeanor counts of criminal damage to property, police said.

Younger is being held without bond at the Cook County Jail until his next court date, which was scheduled for Sept. 5, according to the Cook County sheriff’s office.

A man later showed up at a hospital with a gunshot wound to the lower body and his condition was stabilized, police said. It was not immediately clear if his wound was related to the shooting.

Area North detectives were investigating the circumstances of how the man was shot, but there was no information to suggest that officers struck anyone at this point in the investigation, police said.

A 9-year-old boy was injured by glass when a nearby vehicle was struck by gunfire, police said. Police believe the vehicle was struck from the initial shooting stemming from the argument.

The boy was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital for treatment, according to Chicago Fire Department Cmdr. Curtis Hudson.

Two guns were recovered from the scene, police said.

No officers were injured during the incident, police said. Detectives were reviewing area surveillance video to better determine a timeline of events.

The Independent Police Review Authority will conduct a comprehensive use-of-force investigation, police said. The officers involved in the incident will be placed on routine administrative duties for a 30-day period.