Police said a traffic stop near 79th Street turned into a chase, struggle and exchange of gunfire.
CHICAGO, IL — A 34-year-old Chicago man has been charged after two Chicago police officers were shot Friday afternoon during a struggle on the South Side, police said, in a case now under criminal and civilian oversight review.
Malik Wrightsell faces multiple felony counts, including attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery to a peace officer, aggravated assault to a peace officer, possession of a firearm as a repeat felon and resisting police. He also was cited for operating a non-highway vehicle. The charges follow a violent encounter in the 2000 block of East 79th Street that injured two officers and left Wrightsell hospitalized in critical condition.
The shooting happened Friday afternoon near South Chappel Avenue and East 79th Street, where a large police response filled the area after the gunfire. Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said officers had stopped what he described as a homemade vehicle. During the stop, police said, the person officers were investigating ran from the scene. Officers chased him and caught up to him a short distance away. Snelling said a struggle followed, and the man pulled a gun from a shoulder bag and fired one round. “The first officer was struck in the vest,” Snelling said during a Friday evening briefing. That officer returned fire, striking the suspect, police said.
During the exchange, a second officer was shot in the arm. Both officers were taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center. Police said the first officer’s ballistic vest stopped the bullet, while the second officer needed surgery for the arm wound. Officials said both officers were expected to survive. The two officers are men, ages 30 and 27, and each has about four years with the department. A firearm was recovered at the scene, police said. Wrightsell was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition. Officials had not said whether the second officer was struck by gunfire from the suspect or from the officer who returned fire.
The shooting drew attention because it began with what police described as a traffic stop and quickly became a close-range fight over moments. Officers and squad cars remained around the 79th Street scene after the shooting, and an off-road vehicle was visible in the aftermath. The location sits along a busy South Side corridor near the South Shore and South Chicago community areas, where 79th Street carries steady car and bus traffic. Police have not released the full route of the chase, the exact time the stop began or whether body-worn camera video shows the full struggle.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is investigating because a Chicago police officer fired a weapon and the suspect was shot. COPA investigations commonly review body-camera footage, radio traffic, witness statements, physical evidence and whether officers followed department policy. The criminal case against Wrightsell is separate from that review. Police said he was expected to appear in court Monday for a detention hearing. At that hearing, prosecutors may ask a judge to keep him in custody while the case proceeds. Court records or prosecutors are expected to provide more detail about the allegations, the recovered gun and the basis for the repeat-felon firearm charge.
Snelling used the Friday briefing to point to the danger officers face during street stops, saying the two wounded officers were early in their careers. He said the outcome could have been worse and described the officers as fortunate to have survived. Police said the officer hit in the vest avoided a more serious wound because of protective gear. The department had not released the officers’ names as of the latest public updates. No bystanders were reported injured. Officials also had not announced whether any other person was sought in connection with the stop or the vehicle.
The case stood Monday with Wrightsell charged, two officers recovering and COPA reviewing the police shooting. The next public milestone is Wrightsell’s detention hearing, where a judge is expected to decide whether he remains held while the felony case moves forward.
Author note: Last updated July 6, 2026.