Snelling says a Chicago police officer and an armed teenager in Englewood were accidentally shot with the same bullet

A Chicago police officer and a 16-year-old boy were accidentally shot by the same bullet during a chaotic scene Thursday afternoon in Englewood, according to law enforcement officials.

Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling, speaking to reporters outside the University of Chicago Medical Center around 4 p.m., said the shooting was an “accident.” According to police, officers were conducting an “investigative stop” on a 16-year-old in the 5600 block of South Shields Avenue around 12:30 p.m. when they discovered he had a gun in his waistband.

When an officer reached for the gun, it “accidentally” went off, with the bullet hitting the teen in the groin and then the officer in the leg, Snelling said. A cartridge case was recovered.

“The wounds were through and through,” Snelling said.

Both, including the officer, who has been with the force since 2010, were in good condition as of Thursday afternoon, according to Snelling. The teen is recovering at Stroger Hospital and the officer is recovering at the University of Chicago.

“It’s an extremely dangerous job when we look at people armed with guns,” Snelling said. “Any of these encounters can end in deadly violence on both sides. “There is always a danger to life when officers encounter people who are illegally carrying weapons.”

Mayor Brandon Johnson, who delivered remarks after Snelling, did not answer questions from reporters.

“This is another example of why it is important that law enforcement has all the tools they need to provide the type of security Chicago deserves,” Johnson said.

“It is also further evidence of why important investments for our young people at this moment are critical to building a better, stronger and safer Chicago,” Johnson said.

He added that there are “too many people who have access to guns, and it’s not just a citywide problem, it’s a national problem.” Our commitment in my administration remains the same: We do everything in our power Standing to ensure that young people in particular have the opportunity to achieve their goals.”

Sources said another officer applied a tourniquet to the wounded officer as his partners took him to the hospital in a police car.

The teenager was arrested, sources said. He was taken by Chicago Fire Department ambulance to Stroger, where his condition had “stabilized” by 2 p.m., fire department spokesman Larry Langford said.

Sources said both were alive and talking and neither appeared to have sustained life-threatening injuries.

Jesse Sherwood Elementary School, 245 W. 57th St., is near the crime scene, but no students were around as of 2 p.m. According to Safe Passage staff, the children remained at the school, which will close at 4 p.m

Dozens of patrol officers and detectives remained at the scene of the shooting late Thursday afternoon.

Meanwhile, about a dozen people who appeared to be police supervisors and other officers stood outside the outpatient department of the University of Chicago Medical Center. In Stroger, a handful of high-ranking officials were seen entering and exiting the emergency room.

Earlier, Snelling spent about 40 minutes at the scene, chatting with highway officers and briefly getting into the command car before getting back into a black SUV around 3:20 p.m

At the media briefing, Snelling said the Civilian Office of Police Accountability is investigating the shooting.

“We’re ensuring transparency here because since this is a shooting where someone was shot, we want to make sure it’s properly investigated.”