An investigation is underway after a 13-year-old boy was shot and wounded by Chicago police Wednesday.
CBS News reported that the incident occurred in the South Austin neighborhood of Chicago after the boy ran from a stolen vehicle believed to have been involved in an earlier auto theft in Oak Park.
The events leading up to the shooting unfolded over three days, according to Superintendent of Police David Brown who held a press conference about the incident Thursday night. On Monday, a 2008 silver Honda Accord was left with the keys running and was stolen in the city of Chicago.
In Oak Park the following night, a Honda CR-V was also left running with a 3-year-old girl in the back seat. Thieves took the CR-V with the child inside in an incident described as a carjacking.
The CR-V was found shortly after and the child was safely returned to her parents. Oak Park police reported that the Accord that had been stolen the night before was used as a getaway car in the Oak Park vehicle hijacking and kidnapping, Brown said.
On Wednesday, the stolen Accord came up on the authorities’ license plate reader and was tracked all day until 10:24 p.m. that evening when police caught up to the car and tried to pull it over, Brown said.
Several officers then pursued a person on foot who got out of the vehicle and fled to a gas station. As the person — who turned out to be the 13-year-old boy — turned toward an officer, he was struck once by another officer who discharged their weapon, according to Brown.
Brown said the individual was transported to Stroger Hospital and placed in custody for the stolen car.
The driver of the vehicle fled the scene and abandoned the car that was later recovered.
Before taking questions, Brown emphasized that there is little he can share on the incident as the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) will be doing the investigation.
The Chicago Sun Times reported that despite law enforcement sources and COPA saying no weapon was found on the boy, Brown declined to say whether a gun was found. He did, however, confirm that no shots were fired at police during the incident.
NEW: Statement from @chicagosmayor:
“I have been in contact with Superintendent Brown and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, led by Chief Administrator Andrea Kersten, is actively investigating this matter.” pic.twitter.com/rOv7OMY6Zp
— Ryan Johnson (@Ryan_Johnson) May 19, 2022
In a release obtained by PEOPLE, COPA said its investigators immediately responded to the scene of the shooting to begin its investigation that night.
“Based on preliminary information, the incident began when members of the Department’s Vehicle Hijacking Task Force Team were alerted to a vehicle suspected to be involved in a previous carjacking,” the release said.
“Officers engaged in a foot pursuit of one of the occupants of the vehicle,” said COPA First Deputy Chief Administrator Ephraim Eaddy in the release. “One officer discharged their firearm, striking the occupant, who is 13 years of age. The officer’s body camera was activated, and COPA is in possession of 3rd party and POD video that captures the incident. No weapon was recovered on scene.”
The report confirmed that the minor is in serious but stable condition and the second suspect was not apprehended.
In a statement that Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot tweeted Thursday, she said she was aware of the “officer involved shooting that resulted in a 13-year-old being shot by a Chicago police.”
She concluded, “I have full confidence that COPA will investigate this incident expeditiously with the full cooperation of the Chicago Police Department.”
