University Of Chicago Police Officer Shoots Man Wielding Pipe In Hyde Park
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A University of Chicago police officer shot a University of Chicago student who allegedly was wielding a pipe and bashing windows and vehicles late Tuesday night in the Hyde Park neighborhood.
Around 10:15 p.m., university police officer responded to a call from a woman who said a man was trying to break into her apartment building, and she was hiding inside.
A witness said she spotted a man walking up and down the street, carrying some sort of pipe. She said he was screaming an banging on vehicles and doors.
Police intercepted the man in an alley between Kimbark and Woodlawn, where witnesses said officers asked him to drop his weapon.
An officer then shot the suspect in the shoulder.
The suspect was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in serious condition.
Witnesses said they feared it was the suspect who had fired shots, based on how he was acting a few minutes before the shooting.
"He seemed really angry, and like I said I thought maybe he had had a fight with somebody, or maybe he was having an argument with someone who was in the car; but then when he went to the next car, and then when he went to the next door I realized something was really weird," Sylvie Anglin said.
Anglin said she could not make out what the man was saying.
"He was pretty incoherent," she said.
A witness recorded video from the back porch of a nearby apartment building. While neither the suspect nor the shooting were visible, the suspect's shouts apparently could be heard, followed by what sounds like a gunshot. The Chicago Maroon, the university's student newspaper, posted the video on YouTube.
The glass on the front doors of multiple apartment buildings at the scene were shattered, and a Jeep parked across the street also was damaged.
Police said the officer involved would be placed on administrative leave while the university and Chicago police conduct separate investigations.
Although the burglary report came from an off-campus private apartment building, the university's police has authority to patrol as far north as 37th Street, and as far south as 64th Street.
In a statement on the school's website, the university confirmed the suspect is a student. The university said his parents have been notified.
"The Chicago Police Department will be investigating the incident. In addition, the University Department of Safety and Security will conduct an administrative investigation. Under police department protocol, the officer has been placed on mandatory administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation. There is body camera footage of the incident, which will be released to the media as soon as feasible," the university said. "Maintaining our community's safety, security and well-being is of paramount importance. Support services and resources for students will be provided by the College and Campus and Student Life. The University will release additional updates as more information becomes available."
