The Chicago Police Department(CHICAGO) — Two on-duty Chicago officers were shot and wounded when two vehicles pulled up beside them on Tuesday and began “firing indiscriminately” in what is thought to be a targeted attack, the Chicago Police Department said.
The officers, both male, were conducting an investigation in the city’s south side when “one, possibly two vehicles, pulled alongside them and started firing indiscriminately at the officers,” Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said during a press conference early Wednesday morning.
One officer was shot in the arm and hip and the other in the back, Johnson said. They were taken to a local hospital and are both expected to make a complete recovery, he said.
The department believes that the officers were the intended targets. They returned gunfire, according to the department, but it did not say if they hit anyone.
“They were firing at the officers,” Johnson said. “Right now, there’s an extensive manhunt underway for the individuals responsible and we will get them.”
The officers, who were dressed in plain clothes, were conducting a follow-up investigation to a previous incident when they were hit, according to the department. It declined to offer details on the nature of the case the officers were working on.
Police found multiple weapons and a vehicle they believe are linked to the shooting, Johnson said.
The department said it is questioning “a few” people in connection to the case.
“It’s just another example of how dangerous this job is,” said Johnson. “And I think people take it for granted that when police officers come to work every day, they put their lives on the line every single day they get in their car.”
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel echoed Jonson’s comments in a statement posted on Twitter after the incident.
“Tonight was a frightening reminder of the dangers our dedicated officers face,” Emanuel tweeted. “Thank you @Chicago_Police for putting service above self.”
Johnson noted that the area where the shooting took place had been troubled by gun activity.
“We have to do something about the gun violence in this city,” he said. “If they will fire at police officers like that, then they have no type of thought process in terms of firing at other citizens in this great city.”
Witnesses reported hearing as many as 30 shots of gunfire, and some said it sounded like an assault rifle.
One witness, who declined to give her name, told ABC’s Chicago affiliate WLS-TV that she was waiting at a nearby bus stop when the incident occurred.
“They weren’t messing around,” she said. “I’ve seen shootings but I’ve never seen anything like that.”
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