No officers were struck, and COPA opened an investigation into the late Monday shooting.
CHICAGO, IL — A 26-year-old man was seriously wounded late Monday after Chicago police said he exchanged gunfire with two officers during an investigatory stop in the South Chicago neighborhood.
The shooting happened at about 10:35 p.m. May 11 near the 3100 block of East 83rd Street, after tactical officers responded to a call of a person with a gun nearby. The man was taken into custody and transported to the University of Chicago Medical Center in serious condition. No officers were struck by gunfire, police said.
Police said officers from the 4th District responded first to the 8200 block of South Shore Drive after receiving the report. They later saw a man who matched the description of the person they were seeking and tried to stop him near East 83rd Street. The officers approached and tried to de-escalate the encounter, police said. They also told the man to keep “his hands visible,” according to the department’s account. Police said gunfire was then exchanged between the man and two officers, both of whom fired their weapons. The man was hit multiple times.
Officers gave aid at the scene and called for an ambulance, police said. A firearm was recovered after the shooting, but officials had not released details early Tuesday about the make of the gun, how many shots were fired or whether body camera footage captured the full encounter. The man’s name was not released. Police also did not say whether charges had been approved. The two officers involved were taken to local hospitals for observation, a common step after police shootings, even when officers are not physically wounded.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is investigating the shooting, as it does when Chicago officers fire their weapons at someone. COPA investigators are expected to review body camera video, police radio traffic, 911 or emergency communications, physical evidence and officer statements. Under Chicago’s video release policy, records tied to police use-of-force incidents are generally prepared for public release within 60 days unless officials cite a reason for delay. The agency had not announced a public briefing or released video from this incident as of Tuesday morning.
The shooting briefly affected transit service in the area. The Chicago Transit Authority temporarily rerouted the N5 South Shore Night Bus near 83rd Street and Houston Avenue while police and investigators worked at the scene. The reroute ended by about 4:15 a.m. Tuesday, according to transit updates reported by local outlets. The area where the shooting happened sits close to South Shore Drive and several blocks from the lakefront, in a section of South Chicago where residential streets, small businesses and transit routes meet.
The incident came less than three weeks after a separate shooting at Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital left Chicago police Officer John Bartholomew dead and another officer critically injured. That case brought new attention to officer safety, prisoner handling and police procedures in the city. Monday night’s South Chicago shooting was a different type of encounter, according to police, beginning with a reported person with a gun and ending with an exchange of gunfire during a street stop. Officials had not linked the two cases.
Investigators had not said Tuesday whether the man fired first, how close he was to officers when shots were fired or whether any nearby homes, vehicles or businesses were struck. Those questions are expected to be part of COPA’s review. Police statements so far describe the encounter as an attempted investigatory stop that escalated after officers gave commands. COPA’s findings could later be reviewed by the police department and, if needed, prosecutors. The officers’ duty status was not immediately detailed in the first public reports.
By Tuesday morning, police tape and evidence markers had been cleared from the street, and traffic was moving again through the area. The man remained hospitalized in serious condition and in police custody. The next major public step is expected to be either a police update on charges or a COPA release of investigative materials.
Author note: Last updated May 12, 2026.