Oct 8, 2008 6:15 pm US/Central
Evanston Cop Shot Responding To Domestic Dispute
EVANSTON, Ill. (CBS) ―
A domestic-dispute call turned violent Wednesday, leaving a police officer was shot and the alleged offender seriously wounded in north suburban Evanston.
CBS 2's Kristyn Hartman reports the officer is new to the force and has been on the street for about three days. He had all the requisite training and was with other officers on the scene when the shooting happened.
He said investigators are trying to piece together details of the incident, which occurred about 8:56 a.m. after a woman reached out to a police officer she knew.
The officer was busy, Commander Tom Guenther of the Evanston Police Department said, so he relayed the news to headquarters, which dispatched officers to the scene. As officers headed off to the area, it was related that there could be weapons involved, and they were warned to "be careful," Guenther said.
At the scene, officers attempted to make contact with the alleged offender, Guenther said. A gun was displayed, he said, not elaborating.
A short while later, officers were dispatched to the residence at 1506 Pitner Ave., on a shots-fired call.
The people who live on Pitner Avenue say it's usually a quiet block. They were shocked to witness what they did Wednesday morning.
"Two squad cars pulled up, they went in the house. There was a whole bunch of banging and yelling, then we heard shots," area resident Troy Nightingale said.
When it was over the officer and a man Evanston police identified as "the offender" were injured.
"I did speak with him, he's in good spirits and we're just really lucky as a department that things didn't turn out worse today," Guenther said.
We are not releasing the name of the man who was injured as he might or might not face charges later. He came out of surgery Wednesday afternoon and is in serious condition.
Katrina Johnson, whose sister, Latrisha, is dating the alleged offender, said the two had "the usual arguments between boyfriend and girlfriend," but didn't know of any abuse incidents. "We're baffled like everyone else," she said.
No charges had been filed by midday Wednesday, he said, and the investigation is ongoing.
CBS 2's Kristyn Hartman and the STNG Wire contributed to this report.
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