A man has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly exchanging gunfire with an off-duty Chicago police officer on the Stevenson Expressway last week.
David C. Abarca, 22, is accused of pointing a fully automatic pistol with a laser sight at the officer on the inbound lanes near Ashland Avenue Thursday night, according to a police report.
Abarca was in the passenger seat and was not hit by gunfire. But a 24-year-old woman driving the car was shot in the head, according to the report. It’s unclear from the report whose gun shot her.
The woman was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where she was listed in critical condition, the Illinois State Police said.
Abarca was charged with attempted murder, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and aggravated discharge of a weapon. He appeared in court Sunday and was held without bail. His private attorney didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
During an unrelated news conference Monday, Chicago Police Supt. David Brown said the off-duty officer was driving on the expressway when someone fired at him with a gun equipped with a laser sight.
The officer returned fire and drove to “the closest police district,” Brown said.
Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan declined to provide additional information saying he didn’t want to “interrupt” the investigation led by the Illinois State Police.
A department spokesman wouldn’t say whether the officer has been stripped of his police powers during the investigation into the shooting.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability, which investigates use of force by Chicago police officers, also declined to provide additional information.
A source said state police officials denied COPA officials access to the crime scene.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire & Chicago Sun-Times 2022. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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