Chicago police officer, ATF agents shot in Morgan Park; 2 in custody
CHICAGO - There was another brazen attack on law enforcement in Chicago on Wednesday.
Chicago police have at least two people in custody after an undercover officer and two ATF agents were shot while working on an investigation in the Morgan Park neighborhood.
All of the officers should be ok, but it is yet another sign of the growing danger faced by police.
The shooting happened just before 6 a.m. as the undercover team in an unmarked car got on I-57 heading northbound at 119th St. That is when a car behind them opened fire striking all three officers.
"I heard about five shots. And they stopped and they shot two more times," an eyewitness told FOX 32 News.
The officers were rushed to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. A male Chicago cop suffered a graze wound to his head. A female ATF agent was shot in the hand and a male ATF agent was shot twice near the torso and arm.
"Please keep these agents and this officer in your thoughts and in your prayers," said ATF Special Agent in Charge Kristen de Tineo.
Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown met with the injured officers at the hospital.
"The officers are performing their job at the highest levels. They’re risking everything to protect the people of Chicago," Brown said.
Not long after the shooting, police found the car used in the attack. The white Chevy Malibu was parked at the corner of 89th and Indiana. Police searched the area for suspects, and took at least one person to Area Two headquarters for questioning.
With Wednesday's attack, five officers have now been shot in Chicago over the last three days and 36 Chicago cops have either been shot or shot at this year.
Alderman Matt O’Shea, whose 19th Ward is where Wednesday's shooting took place, was stunned.
"I was just told President Biden is going to be in Crystal Lake today," O’Shea said. "I’d like for him to come to Chicago and offer any additional assistance. Our communities are under siege. Our police officers are under siege."
By Wednesday evening, all three officers had been released from the hospital.
The shooting comes a day after police reported that 100 people were shot in Chicago — including two police officers who were wounded while trying to break up a crowd — over the long Fourth of July weekend.
"This is a very challenging time to be in law enforcement but they are rising to the challenge of doing all they can. And the work they do is extremely dangerous," Brown said.
The holiday weekend shootings included 18 homicides. The bloodshed was comparable to the long Fourth of July weekend last year, when 17 people were fatally shot and 70 more were wounded.