What started as a street argument on Chicago's Southwest Side turned into a tense police stop on Sunday afternoon, ending with two 17-year-old males in handcuffs and a gun going off during a struggle, according to police.
A woman told officers that during a verbal confrontation, a man inside a Chevrolet SUV pointed a gun at her. Police later found an SUV matching that description, pulled it over, and recovered a firearm. The 17-year-old driver was arrested, and a second teen was taken into custody after a struggle in which a weapon discharged. No one was hit, and the passenger was treated at a hospital for minor injuries, officials said.
Police account
The call came in around 3:35 p.m., police said, from a woman who reported that a male inside a Chevrolet SUV had pointed a gun at her during a heated exchange. Officers soon located a Chevrolet SUV on the 3700 block of West 71st Street that matched the description, arrested the 17-year-old driver, and recovered a firearm from the vehicle, according to FOX 32 Chicago.
Conflicting details on which gun fired
Things get murkier when it comes to exactly whose weapon went off during the struggle.
FOX 32 Chicago reports that “an officer's gun was discharged while concealed in the officer's clothing.”
ABC7 Chicago, though, states that “a firearm that was concealed in his clothing was discharged,” wording that suggests the weapon may have been on the suspect instead.
Both outlets agree on two key points: no one was struck by the gunfire, and the passenger was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
Neighborhood context
The 3700 block of West 71st Street is no stranger to gun incidents. In May, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that a 15-year-old was grazed by gunfire on the same block, a reminder of ongoing safety concerns in parts of West Lawn. That earlier case added to residents' longstanding complaints about violence along stretches of 71st Street.
What happens next
Charges are still pending for the two teens, and the city's Civilian Office of Police Accountability has opened an investigation into the shooting, ABC7 Chicago reports.
Prosecutors will decide whether to file criminal charges. Police have not released the suspects' names or additional identifying information.
Authorities say details of the incident were provided to local media by the Chicago Police Department. The Civilian Office of Police Accountability typically makes its findings public once a review is complete, though no timeline has been given in this case.
