A Chicago police officer was shot multiple times while responding to a domestic disturbance

CNN
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A Chicago police officer was shot multiple times while responding to a domestic disturbance on Friday and is hospitalized in serious condition, officials said.

Officers responded to the call around 8:30 a.m., Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown said at a news conference.

Upon arrival, law enforcement took an elevator to the apartment. Once they exited the elevator, shots were fired at officers by the suspect who is now in custody, Brown said.

One officer, a man who has worked for the police department for 15 years, was shot multiple times and remains in serious condition, Brown added.

A police officer from the University of Illinois at Chicago was monitoring the Chicago police radio and transported the injured officer to his police cruiser, « probably saving his life, » the superintendent said.

« We ask for prayers for this officer and his family and pray for a full recovery, » Brown said.

Officers did not fire their weapons during the incident and also recovered a firearm from the scene, the superintendent added.

The suspect, a convicted felon, suffered a wrist injury and is being treated at a separate hospital, Brown said. There were no other injuries related to the incident, he added.

Brown said charges against the suspect are pending.

The incident is a reminder of « the hardships and dangers » of the job of an officer, Brown said, noting that « being a police officer in this country hasn’t been more dangerous in decades. »

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who also attended the press conference outside the hospital where the officer is being treated, spoke of the alarming rise in domestic violence crimes.

« This is a huge public health and public safety issue, which we are working diligently to address, » she said. “But we have a long way to go as a society to understand the danger to household members, the danger to our police and the danger to ordinary residents when domestic violence occurs inside a household. »