Man critically hurt in West Side shooting; police fire at suspected gunmanon December 18, 2020 at 9:03 pm

A man was critically wounded in a shooting Friday in the Austin neighborhood on the West Side.

Chicago police officers intervened in the shooting, and one officer exchanged gunfire with a suspect about 11:50 a.m., but it was unclear if the suspect was shot, police said.

Brian McDermott, the CPD’s chief of operations, told reporters at the scene that officers in the Community Safety Team saw a male fire several shots at the victim, striking him in the head, as the victim was driving in the 1500 block of North Laramie Avenue.

McDermott said that, after the shooting, one of the officers fired three shots at the suspect, who ran west on Le Moyne Street and was not in custody Friday afternoon. It was unclear if the suspect was shot.

Officers performed first aid on the victim until a Chicago Fire Department ambulance arrived. The victim was shot several times in the head and was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition, McDermott said.

Police closed down Laramie between Division Street and North Avenue, and a large crime scene was visible at the corner of Le Moyne and Laramie. The vehicle the victim was in appeared to have caught fire.

The shooting was initially reported as a police shooting, but CPD later clarified another shooter was involved.

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability said it was responding to the scene to investigate.

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