Chicago police officer shoots boy cops say pointed gun at him in South Shore

A Chicago police officer shot and seriously wounded an underage boy who pointed a gun at him Monday night in South Shore, police said.

The officer was sitting in his marked police vehicle around 9:30 p.m. after leaving a Family Dollar store, 2346 E. 79th St., when someone walked up and pointed a handgun at him, according to Sgt. Al Stinites, a police spokesman, who said the officer then fired.

The person was taken to a hospital in serious condition, according to Stinites, who said a handgun was recovered at the scene.

At a news conference Tuesday, Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson said the person shot by the officer was a male juvenile with a criminal history, but did not release further details because of his age and because of the ongoing investigation by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability.

“It was a little bit difficult to sleep last night,” Johnson said. “So I’m very thankful that this situation did not result in a devastating tragedy. I can’t tell you all what this young man was thinking, but his actions were, clearly, extremely dangerous.”

CPD spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said body camera footage was not available because the officer’s camera was not responding to a call at the time of the shooting. He said police were exploring whether or not the incident was an attempt at “suicide by cop.”

The officer will be placed on 30-day administrative leave, under police department policy, Stinites said.

Neither the officer nor the suspect was identified.