Chicago police officer shot in left hand during traffic stop in Englewood

A Chicago police officer was shot and wounded during a traffic stop in Englewood Monday evening, authorities said.

The officer was hit in the left hand and was taken by other officers to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where interim Supt. Fred Waller said he was in “good spirits.”

Officers had stopped a car in the 5600 block of South Shields Avenue around 7:30 p.m. when it reversed and hit a squad car, according to a statement released by police. “Officers discharged their firearms. The occupied vehicle fled the scene,” the statement said.

Waller said it was unclear who fired the shots or how many were fired. He said police were looking into whether a car crash near 95th Street and Princeton Avenue not long after the shooting was related.

No arrests were reported.

The officer was listed in good condition at the hospital. “I spoke to the officer. He is in good spirits at this time,” Waller told reporters at the hospital. “I spoke to his parents who are here supporting him.”

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability, which oversees police-involved shootings, is investigating.

No other details were immediately available.