A Chicago police officer shot a 13-year-old after he fled from a car that authorities said Thursday was linked to a carjacking.
The teenager was shot in a gas station parking lot Wednesday night after officers tried stopping a Honda Accord that had been reported stolen two days earlier, police superintendent David Brown told reporters.
The teen, who has not been identified, ran from the Honda, then turned toward officers as they chased him on foot on the city’s West Side, Brown said.
An officer fired, striking the teen once. The leader of a local civilian review agency that investigates police shootings said in a statement that the 13-year-old was taken to a nearby hospital and is in serious but stable condition.
Brown did not say if the officer believed the teen was armed, but no weapon was recovered from the scene, said Ephraim Eaddy, administrator of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability.
He added that agency investigators are reviewing video of the incident from police body cameras and witnesses.
The officer, who has not been identified, was placed on routine administrative leave for 30 days while the agency investigates the incident, police said in a statement.
Brown confirmed video from the scene showing officers moving the teen after he was struck, saying that police believed the gunfire may have struck a gas pump.
Brown said authorities tried to stop the Honda Accord after police in the nearby city of Oak Park said it was used in a May 17 carjacking.
After a Honda SUV with a 3-year-old girl inside was stolen, the child’s mother grabbed onto the car and was dragged, Brown said.
The woman fell and broke her clavicle, he said. The car was found shortly after with the child inside.
Brown said investigators are trying to determine how the teen was linked to the carjacking, but added that “preliminary evidence” suggests his involvement. He declined to provide additional details.
Matthew Mata contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
