14-year-old, who cops say had gun, shot by police officer in South Chicago

A 14-year-old boy was shot by Chicago Police, who said he pointed a gun at them late Thursday in the South Chicago neighborhood.

About 10:35 p.m., tactical officers from the South Chicago District heard a call of shots being fired by two people on bicycles near the intersection of 89th and Escanaba, Area South Executive Officer Christopher Fletcher told reporters at the scene.

A short time later, the officers saw two people on bikes and stopped one of them to interview him, Fletcher said.

As the officers were talking to the teen, they noticed a “bulge protruding from his pocket,” a statement from police said. As the officers started to get out of their vehicle, the suspect fled on foot.

The officers chased him to the 8900 block of South Escanaba. During the chase, they saw he was running with a gun in his hand, Fletcher said.

The officers “repeatedly commanded the offender to stop and drop the weapon,” the police statement said. “The offender refused to comply at which time an officer discharged his weapon and the offender was struck.

He was shot once in the leg, Fletcher said.

His condition was not known, but he was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital, a police source said.

While police would not confirm the suspect’s age, a source on Friday said he was a 14-year-old boy.

No other injuries were reported and a weapon was recovered at the scene, police said.

The Independent Police Review Authority s investigating, as it does all officer-involved shootings.