Chicago police were questioning three people and were searching for others after two plainclothes officers were wounded Tuesday night in the Back of the Yards when gunmen began firing “indiscriminately” at them, authorities said.
Both Deering District officers were shot by a “high-powered weapon,” police said. One officer was hit in the arm and hip, the other in the back.
They were taken to Stroger Hospital, where they were in serious condition but stable. Officials said their injuries were not life-threatening.
The officers were sitting in an unmarked car in the 4300 block of South Ashland Avenue around 9 p.m., following up an earlier investigation, when they saw someone in a silver van shooting at another vehicle, according to preliminary information from police.
“The occupants began firing shots indiscriminately in the direction of the officers,” the Police Department said in a statement. “The officers returned fire.” It is not believed they hit anyone.
Multiple security cameras are in place around the intersection where the shooting occurred, near 43rd Street and Ashland Avenue. […]
Multiple weapons were recovered in the area, as well as a vehicle possibly used in the shooting, Johnson said. […]
The vehicle the officers were in was “riddled with bullets” from what police believe was a high powered rifle, he added. […]
Hundreds of officers from across the city had swarmed the area in the hours after the shooting. Dozens more congregated at the hospital. Mayor Rahm Emanuel visited the officers and their families before leaving about 10:35 p.m.
*** UPDATE *** The CPD dispatch audio is horrifying…
WGN-TV interviewed some officers, including one who gave a very passionate plea for help from Springfield to deal with gun violence. It wasn’t the Superintendent, more of a rank-and-file officer, but I didn’t read the chryon to remember exactly who it was.
Somebody (Don Harmon) really ought to get that video and talk to that cop. He had a very strong opinion about the kind of help the cops are looking for from Springfield and was very eloquent.
My family is filled with good people who protected Chicago from fire, violence, crime and have served The City as public servants over multiple generations.
No longer. We’ve all left. The last, left Chicago as an officer with 30 years on the beat, and fighting drugs and crime. No one is left.
At family gatherings we have repeatedly said how thankful we have no more family members in the line of fire. We are all grateful to have lived through serving The City. We are all afraid of what Chicago has become. We are afraid for it’s future.
With real emotions, with sincere feeling of recognition and empathy, we pray for these wounded souls just trying to do their best.
while we are on the topic of what SF can do about this re guns, there was a big break in at a gun range in the south suburbs. between railroad burglaries for gun shipments and large thefts like this from a set location where one expects guns inside, we will see more criminals armed with more powerful weapons. big problems. prayers for all those wounded by violence.
- proudstatetrooper - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 11:13 am:
thoughts and prayers to the CPD officers and their families while serving and protecting in an ungrateful occupation.
- TheGoodLieutenant - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 12:06 pm:
===WGN-TV interviewed some officers, including one who gave a very passionate plea for help from Springfield to deal with gun violence. It wasn’t the Superintendent, more of a rank-and-file officer, but I didn’t read the chryon to remember exactly who it was.===
It wasn’t an officer giving the impassioned plea for help. It was Alderman Raymond Lopez.
just because there is not a readily identifiable figure like Capone/Jeff Fort does not mean this isn’t exactly the kind of problem that was going on with those gangs and crime, which is the real problem in Chicago. between the Little Village gang story in the Sun Times, and the story re the Simon City Royals leader who decided to throw cash around the West Side and literally blow things up, the violence issue needs to be viewed through an organized crime vision. that is what it is.
If the stories floating around, particularly in the Sun Times, that the attack on the CPD officers was likely carried out by the gang La Raza then we here in Chicago have yet a new an ominous problem. La Raza has direct ties to MS-13 which is an international gang composed heavily of El Salvadorans with links to major drug cartels. These are not your average thugs cursing around looking for a target to shoot.
La Raza and the Latin Saints have been shooting at each other with high powered rifles since last summer. The officers were plain clothed, in an unmarked car, following a Raza crew along the border of Saint territory. What most likely happened is the officers were following a scout car, the car saw the officers were following them and assumed they were Saints, and they called the car with the rifle to shoot it.
This Is not the same La Raza being accused of having ties with MS-13.
yep, La Raza and Latin Saints…..gangs. this is the main problem in Chicago, a city which has a greater gang presence than any other in the U.S. Capone one decade, these gangs almost a hundred years later. gangs guns and drugs.
WGN has reported that both officers who were shot last night have been released from Stroger. That is a very very good piece of news coming out of a very very ugly and scary night Back of the Yards.
Anon there are several histories of La Razza floating around, its origins are pretty old. The Back Of The Yards section of La Razza is an expansion of the gang, as is a branch not that far from my own house on the north side of Chicago in Rogers Park they call the “north pole.” At least that is what one of my friends who retired as a CPD officer from the 24th District and fellow ISRA member tells me.
MS 13 supposedly has a presence in several suburbs of Chicago and La Razza according to DuPage County’s gang prosecution unit has a working relationship with them.
I will agree that the MS 13 presence in the metro Chicago area has been disputed and confused. Trump even mentioned MS 13 in a tweet the other day so its a hot button gang. I suspect the CPD and FBI will exert maximum effort in relationship to this attack because it appeared to be a messaging attack on the police and took place on a major arterial street of the City at 9pm at night.
The fact that the stolen car and apparently the weapons were just dumped indicates whichever of the two gangs did this attack they were either pretty confident their weapons were not traceable or they were crazy.
One thing is for sure this type of an attack makes all of CPD nervous and much more likely to shoot a little faster. I am old enough to remember when CPD squads carried shorty shot guns racked in their front seats in good part over fears of ambushes. Let us hope those days are done.
- Lobo y Olla - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 9:11 am:
A story that will be in my thoughts tomorrow at the Law Enforcement Memorial service.
- 47th Ward - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 9:25 am:
WGN-TV interviewed some officers, including one who gave a very passionate plea for help from Springfield to deal with gun violence. It wasn’t the Superintendent, more of a rank-and-file officer, but I didn’t read the chryon to remember exactly who it was.
Somebody (Don Harmon) really ought to get that video and talk to that cop. He had a very strong opinion about the kind of help the cops are looking for from Springfield and was very eloquent.
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 9:27 am:
My family is filled with good people who protected Chicago from fire, violence, crime and have served The City as public servants over multiple generations.
No longer. We’ve all left. The last, left Chicago as an officer with 30 years on the beat, and fighting drugs and crime. No one is left.
At family gatherings we have repeatedly said how thankful we have no more family members in the line of fire. We are all grateful to have lived through serving The City. We are all afraid of what Chicago has become. We are afraid for it’s future.
With real emotions, with sincere feeling of recognition and empathy, we pray for these wounded souls just trying to do their best.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 9:47 am:
Were the cops “targeted” or were the shooters spraying “indiscriminately?”
One means a premeditated assassination attempt of cops, the oth means some nihilistic dirtbags just freaking out with guns.
I guess we’ll find out. I’d wait to draw conclusions on motivation until the evidence is in.
- crazybleedingheart - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 9:54 am:
==One means a premeditated assassination attempt of cops==
Maybe, maybe not. They weren’t in uniform.
- crazybleedingheart - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 10:00 am:
Have the 3 suspects being questioned been a) released or b) arrested? I wonder.
- A guy - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 10:18 am:
===Maybe, maybe not. They weren’t in uniform.===
Despite not wearing police uniforms…make no mistake. The Cop and Robbers in these districts are very aware of who’s who.
Sling is correct in that we need more info. 24 hours has a dramatic effect on the clarity of what happened there.
- Amalia - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 10:41 am:
while we are on the topic of what SF can do about this re guns, there was a big break in at a gun range in the south suburbs. between railroad burglaries for gun shipments and large thefts like this from a set location where one expects guns inside, we will see more criminals armed with more powerful weapons. big problems. prayers for all those wounded by violence.
- proudstatetrooper - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 11:13 am:
thoughts and prayers to the CPD officers and their families while serving and protecting in an ungrateful occupation.
- Rod - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 11:59 am:
Here is a link of the police radio of the shooting it is actually terrifying https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr_VbIg5LrU
- TheGoodLieutenant - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 12:06 pm:
===WGN-TV interviewed some officers, including one who gave a very passionate plea for help from Springfield to deal with gun violence. It wasn’t the Superintendent, more of a rank-and-file officer, but I didn’t read the chryon to remember exactly who it was.===
It wasn’t an officer giving the impassioned plea for help. It was Alderman Raymond Lopez.
- Amalia - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 1:09 pm:
just because there is not a readily identifiable figure like Capone/Jeff Fort does not mean this isn’t exactly the kind of problem that was going on with those gangs and crime, which is the real problem in Chicago. between the Little Village gang story in the Sun Times, and the story re the Simon City Royals leader who decided to throw cash around the West Side and literally blow things up, the violence issue needs to be viewed through an organized crime vision. that is what it is.
- 47th Ward - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 1:29 pm:
Thanks TGL.
- Rod - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 2:27 pm:
If the stories floating around, particularly in the Sun Times, that the attack on the CPD officers was likely carried out by the gang La Raza then we here in Chicago have yet a new an ominous problem. La Raza has direct ties to MS-13 which is an international gang composed heavily of El Salvadorans with links to major drug cartels. These are not your average thugs cursing around looking for a target to shoot.
- Anon - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 3:05 pm:
La Raza and the Latin Saints have been shooting at each other with high powered rifles since last summer. The officers were plain clothed, in an unmarked car, following a Raza crew along the border of Saint territory. What most likely happened is the officers were following a scout car, the car saw the officers were following them and assumed they were Saints, and they called the car with the rifle to shoot it.
This Is not the same La Raza being accused of having ties with MS-13.
- Amalia - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 3:58 pm:
yep, La Raza and Latin Saints…..gangs. this is the main problem in Chicago, a city which has a greater gang presence than any other in the U.S. Capone one decade, these gangs almost a hundred years later. gangs guns and drugs.
- Responsa - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 4:05 pm:
WGN has reported that both officers who were shot last night have been released from Stroger. That is a very very good piece of news coming out of a very very ugly and scary night Back of the Yards.
- Anonymous - Wednesday, May 3, 17 @ 4:38 pm:
Anon there are several histories of La Razza floating around, its origins are pretty old. The Back Of The Yards section of La Razza is an expansion of the gang, as is a branch not that far from my own house on the north side of Chicago in Rogers Park they call the “north pole.” At least that is what one of my friends who retired as a CPD officer from the 24th District and fellow ISRA member tells me.
MS 13 supposedly has a presence in several suburbs of Chicago and La Razza according to DuPage County’s gang prosecution unit has a working relationship with them.
I will agree that the MS 13 presence in the metro Chicago area has been disputed and confused. Trump even mentioned MS 13 in a tweet the other day so its a hot button gang. I suspect the CPD and FBI will exert maximum effort in relationship to this attack because it appeared to be a messaging attack on the police and took place on a major arterial street of the City at 9pm at night.
The fact that the stolen car and apparently the weapons were just dumped indicates whichever of the two gangs did this attack they were either pretty confident their weapons were not traceable or they were crazy.
One thing is for sure this type of an attack makes all of CPD nervous and much more likely to shoot a little faster. I am old enough to remember when CPD squads carried shorty shot guns racked in their front seats in good part over fears of ambushes. Let us hope those days are done.