An off-duty Chicago firefighter faced multiple gunshot wounds early Wednesday in Bronzeville when he stepped into the fray to stop a group of individuals from breaking into his vehicle, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The 40-year-old was inside his home at about 5:20 a.m. on the 500 block of East 38th Place when he noticed the attempted burglary, and facing the brazen thieves, "they started shooting at him," a fire department spokesman, Larry Langford, detailed in the report.
The confrontation quickly turned violent as one suspect opened fire, striking the firefighter multiple times about his body which subsequently led to his serious injury and a rush to the University of Chicago Medical Center where the spokesperson assured, "We know he’s in good hands," and "We're watching and hoping for a speedy recovery," the Sun-Times reported. The violent episode triggered a manhunt for the three suspects, of whom two fled in a silver SUV and the third on foot, but no arrests have yet to surface cops said.
Additional details from FOX 32 Chicago include the sighting of four bullet holes in the front glass door of a nearby townhome and smashed glass on the driver's side of a Dodge Durango adorned with Chicago Fire Department stickers, evidence of the morning's chaotic events. The unnamed firefighter, described as being in critical condition upon arrival, has had his status updated to "stabilized" by the Chicago Police Department.
The area where the shooting unfolded remained under the watchful eye of Area One detectives as they pieced together the harrowing incident, and while they conducted their investigation, details such as descriptions of the suspects or potential motives behind the robbery attempt have not yet been divulged to the public the silver SUV the two suspects vanished into as well as the third suspect who escaped on foot their freedom temporary, assuming the justice system prevails as it often does in the tales of our daily binds.
