ROSELAND — While police were prepared for people to illegally fire gunshots into the air to ring in the new year, they weren't prepared to have people pointing guns at them, officials said Wednesday — after officers shot four people in separate incidents on the South Side.
In Roseland, officers responding to shots fired in the 100 block of West 105th Street surrounded a home about 1:55 a.m. and found someone on the back porch holding a gun, according to a police statement.
An officer told the person to drop the gun, but instead the person pointed it at officers, police said.
One of the cops shot at the gun holder who was taken to a hospital.
Danny Johnson, an 18-year-old that lives on the same block as where the shooting happened, said gunfire on New Year's Day isn't unusual.
"This happens every year on New Year's," said Johnson adding he heard about 10 shots before leaving his house to check on the commotion.
"I came out and saw police then I saw people laying on the ground," Johnson said.
Following the incident, police found two others who were also shot in the incident, according to Larry Merritt, a spokesman for the Independent Police Review Authority, which investigates police-involved shootings. They were also taken to the hospital.
The wounded, a woman and two men based on Johnson's account, were in the alley next to the house and the backyard.
Merritt couldn't confirm details on the three people shot.
Wednesday morning, police placed nine orange markers in the alley, which are used to note where bullet casings are found.
Johnson said he knew one of the people in the house, who works as an exterminator.
In a separate shooting that happened five minutes after midnight, police responded to shots fired in Woodlawn in the 500 block of East 67th Street, according to a police statement.
Officers exited their car and entered an alley where they ran into an armed man.
"Individuals were out firing their weapons celebrating New Year's," said Pat Camden, Fraternal Order of Police spokesman.
After officers announced their presence, the man pointed the gun at them leading to one of the officers to shoot him.
Asked if police are prepared for celebratory gunfire on New Year's Day, Camden said: "As far as people shooting guns, yeah. As far as people pointing guns at police, no."
The man who was shot was taken to Stroger Hospital with a bullet in his leg, Merritt and Camden said.
Camden said the man was supposed to be on home monitoring after a gun conviction. Camden didn't have a comment on the Roseland shooting.
Guns were recovered from both scenes.
