Chicago police officer released from hospital hours after shot in the face, stops by police station in his hospital gown

A Chicago police officer was released from the hospital hours after he was shot in the face while answering a disturbance call in a Lincoln Park beauty shop Monday.

On his way home, the officer stopped by the 18th police district station still dressed in his hospital gown.

The shooting happened about 3:30 p.m. after an altercation broke out inside an Ulta Beauty store in the 1000 block of West North Avenue, Chicago Police Supt. David Brown said.

Someone inside the store had been acting “erratically” and officers patrolling the area nearby were called, Brown said. There was a struggle that continued into the parking lot, where the person fired three shots, striking him once in the cheek, Brown said.

The superintendent described the injury as a “through-and-through wound.” The officer was transported to Illinois Masonic Medical Center.

The gunman was taken into custody, Brown said, and a weapon was also recovered at the scene. The shooter was inside the store with another person, but that person is not in custody.

No officers returned fire, according to Brown.

Brown said officers have been conducting extra patrols in the area in response to some recent robberies and were able to respond very quickly.

Tyler LaRiviere/ Sun-Times

At the site, Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd) said this was a stark reminder of the dangers officers face every day on the job.

“Of course the good news is the officer’s injuries are not life-threatening, but let’s pause and reflect on the fact that it is life-altering,” Hopkins said. “Getting shot in the face is no small matter.”

A woman who lives across the street said she was just about to walk to the store when the shooting occurred.

“We don’t feel safe around here,” she said. “I mean if they’re going to shoot a police officer they are going to shoot anybody, and I think that’s what kind of gives me the chills and it’s scary no matter who you are.”

She has lived in the area 15 years but said she has never felt scared in the neighborhood until this past year.

“The last year...I’ve been worried to walk to my car...I’ve been worried to take my purse anywhere, I’ve been much more uneasy.”

The latest police statistics for the 18th District show shootings are up 52% from last year, robberies up 6%, aggravated batteries up 3% and thefts up 9%. Homicides are down 20%, the department reports, and burglaries are down 72% from last year.