Off-duty CPD officer shot throughout ‘street rage’ incident had been relieved of police powers, sources say she had medicine in system

CHICAGO (CBS) — An off-duty police officer who was shot within the face throughout a street rage incident in Irving Park East on Tuesday had been relieved of her police powers days earlier, and sources mentioned it was as a result of medicine had been present in her system.

Chicago Police Department spokesman Tom Ahern confirmed the officer had been relieved of her police powers on Saturday. Sources confirmed to CBS 2’s Suzanne Le Mignot that the officer was relieved of her police powers because of medicine in her system.

Meantime, a hunt for the shooter continues.

Late Tuesday, the hunt for the shooter remained on.

The incident occurred round 3:10 p.m. Tuesday close to the intersection of Addison Street and Elston Avenue, in accordance with CPD Supt. David Brown. 

There was a heavy police presence exterior the Jiffy Lube at 3630 N. Elston Ave. for hours afterward Tuesday. It wound up being one in every of 4 totally different areas with an enormous police presence related to this similar chain of occasions.

Brown added the 27-year-old feminine officer was hit within the face however her accidents are non-life-threatening.

The officer was touring northwest on Elston Avenue when a automobile touring in entrance of her abruptly stopped. The offender then produced a firearm, firing photographs from the automobile, which police mentioned was a black sport-utility automobile — presumably a GMC Yukon with chrome rims. 

The suspect fled, however later, police have been making an attempt to cease a dark-colored automobile within the 5000 block of West Lawrence Avenue — in Jefferson Park north and west of the unique scene. During the encounter, the suspect automobile struck two CPD squad automobiles and one officer fired their weapon.

The CPD mentioned no people have been struck in that incident, and no accidents have been reported. The suspect automobile then fled within the dark-colored automobile and escaped.

Northeastern Illinois University police later discovered the unoccupied automobile within the 5800 block of North Drake Avenue, simply east of Peterson Park and North Park Village, and about three miles north of the capturing that began all of it.

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability introduced by way of Twitter it was “responding” to an “officer-involved shooting near the 5000 block of West Lawrence.”

Brown mentioned police have a possible license plate quantity, however he declined to launch that quantity speaking to news media just a little after 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

The off-duty officer was taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, which was the fourth web site with a significant police presence.

“I did talk to the officer, and she is talking. She apparently did not lose consciousness,” Brown mentioned, “so thank goodness.”

Brown mentioned there was no proof the off-duty officer ever displayed or fired a weapon through the incident.

He added the officer was a probationary police officer, that means she was newly employed.

Brown expressed his frustration with individuals utilizing weapons when they’re upset.

“We’ve seen gunplay at road rage incidents here, and really everywhere across this country,” he mentioned. “It seems personal conflicts have ended more and more with escalating violence. So it’s a concern of ours.”