Chicago police under fire: 11 officers shot at or wounded in 2022 as top cop warns, 'Most dangerous time'
'It is the most dangerous time to be the police in this country,' Chicago Police Supt. David O. Brown says
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Eleven Chicago police officers have been shot at or wounded so far this year as city’s police superintendent warns it is "the most dangerous time to be a police officer," according to officials and reports.
Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown was addressing the media after a cop-involved shooting on Monday, when one officer was shot and another was pinned between two vehicles, when he revealed a staggering statistic: 500% more police officers have been shot over the last two years, he said, according to WGN-TV.
"It is the most dangerous time to be the police in this country," he said, "where offenders are brazen, not only against our residents with these violent crimes, but not hesitant at all to fire upon officers."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Chicago police officer suffered a gunshot wound to a hand while another suffered a leg injury when a shootout ensued during a traffic stop late Monday, authorities said. (FOX32 Chicago WFLD)
A spokesperson for Chicago Police Department (CPD) could not speak to Brown's statement that there was a 500% increase. The office confirmed, however, that 11 officers have been shot at as of Tuesday, with three wounded.
Meanwhile, 23 CPD officers were shot at – and four were struck – between Jan. 1 and March 29, 2021, the police department said. And 10 cops were shot at during that time frame in 2020, with one wounded.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}And looking at year totals, a CPD spokesperson said 20 cops were shot or shot at in all of 2017 and the same number was reported in 2018.
There were 22 cops shot or shot at in 2019, but the number skyrocketed in 2020, when 80 officers were shot or shot at. And 76 officers were wounded or shot at in all of 2021.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Most recently, one officer was shot in the hand and another was struck by a car after the pair of suspects rammed the vehicle into him during a Monday night traffic stop gone wrong, police have said.
The pair of officers had stopped the vehicle and were approaching on foot when the suspect behind the wheel drove into one of the cops and opened fire.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The officers returned fire, wounding one of the suspects. The injured suspect was taken to a local hospital in serious-to-critical condition. The second suspect was also taken into custody.
Meanwhile, both cops suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were treated at an area hospital.
After news of the shootout Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a statement that she and her family were "relieved to hear that none of their injuries were life-threatening, and that a suspect was apprehended on scene."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}She added: "This latest incident again underscores the dangers that our valiant police officers face every day to keep the rest of us safe."
Fox News' Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.