CHICAGO — A Cook County sheriff's deputy was hospitalized Thursday afternoon after he was accidentally shot in the foot, a sheriff's office spokesman said.
The deputy was injured about 3 p.m. in an "accidental discharge of a firearm," said Ben Breit, a spokesman for Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart. He could not say who shot the deputy.
Breit said the deputy was hit in the foot and was taken to an area hospital "as a precaution." No one else was injured when the gun discharged in the lobby area of the sheriff's office's administration building at 3026 S. California Ave., steps away from Dart's office, Breit said.
Dart was "in the compound," which houses administrative buildings and the Cook County Jail, Breit said, but did not say if he was near the area where the deputy was shot.
"Everyone heard it," he said. "It was startling."
An investigation into the shooting is ongoing, he said, and he could not say if the deputy would be disciplined.
"We want to make sure he's ok first and foremost. All indications point to yes," he said.
