Nov. 05--A police officer in the Lawndale neighborhood shot and critically wounded a man suspected of abducting his 2-year-old child from a suburb and then running down the police officer as he approached Sunday evening, authorities said.
The 40-year-old officer shot the suspect at a Church's Fried Chicken restaurant parking lot, 1151 S. Independence Blvd., about 7 p.m. after the suspect ran down the officer with his car, authorities said.
Chicago Police said in a statement that the officer, who has worked for the department for 16 years, was in fear for his life when he fired.
Fire Department ambulances were dispatched at 7:03 p.m., and took the person who had been shot to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital in critical condition, said Meg Ahlheim, a spokeswoman for the Fire Department. The police officer was taken to Northwestern Memorial in fair-to-serious condition, and a third person was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition, Ahlheim said.
The person taken to Mount Sinai was the 2-year-old, who was also in the vehicle when the shooting took place, authorities said.
The incident began when Illinois State Police were looking for a man suspected of abducting his 2-year-old child from the suburbs, authorities said, citing preliminary information. A State trooper in the area alerted members of a Harrison District violence reduction team that the man, suspected of abducting his child, might be in the area, said Pat Camden, a spokesman for Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7.
After State Police requested help from Chicago police, the suspect was spotted in the parking lot of a Church's Chicken restaurant at Roosevelt and Independence, where, authorities say, the suspect is known to buy narcotics.
When a Chicago police officer approached the man's car, he backed up, then unable to back further, went forward to try to drive off, hitting the officer, authorities said. The officer fired shots into car, striking the suspect, authorities said.
The officer who was hit had his leg broken in multiple places, "which shows you the force of the hit," Camden said.
After the shooting, police took the child out of the car, Camden said.
Police News Affairs Officer Joshua Purkiss confirmed at the scene that Chicago Police were assisting State Police in a child abduction investigation when the shooting took place, but could not confirm if the child was in the car at the time.
The injured officer was working overtime and assigned to the West Side for the evening.
Officials at the scene Sunday night included State Police, Bridgeview and Chicago Police personnel. A State Police spokeswoman referred questions to Chicago police.
Michael Johnson, who lives nearby, said he was walking home to see his wife when heard numerous gunshots and got down on the ground. When he got up after the shots were fired, he saw an officer on the ground near a maroon car, and three or four Chicago police cars around the car.
The officer waved to another officer to indicate he was injured but all right, Johnson said. The driver of the car was slumped over, and "there was no type of life there." Johnson said.
An officer looked into the car, and brought a young child out, wrapped in a blanket, Johnson said.
"It was a very, very sad scene," Johnson said. "The good thing about it is we did not lose a child today."
Tribune reporters Liam Ford and Adam Sege contributed
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