Man critically wounded after exchanging gunfire with police in Little Village

A 19-year-old man was shot by Chicago police Sunday after shooting at two officers who tried to stop him on the street in Little Village on the Southwest Side, according to police.

Police officers tried to stop the man about 3:15 p.m. in the 2100 block of South Washtenaw Avenue when they saw him “acting suspiciously and walking,” holding something by his side, Chicago Police Chief of Patrol Fred Waller told reporters at the crime scene.

Jake Wittich / Sun-Times

The officers got out of their vehicle and tried to talk to the man, but he immediately ran off and fired “numerous” shots at the police, Waller said. The officers followed and one returned fire, striking the man in his shoulder and leg, but he kept running.

Police found the man behind a home in the 2100 block of South California Avenue and applied a tourniquet, police said. A gun was also recovered from a nearby garage.

The man was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital in critical condition, Waller said.

The officers were not injured but were taken to a hospital for observation, Waller said.

The shooting is under investigation by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, police said. The officers involved will be placed on desk duty for 30 days.

On Friday, a Chicago police officer shot a man at the Grand Red Line station during the afternoon rush hour in what Mayor Lori Lightfoot called an “extremely disturbing” incident.