Chicago Cop Shoots Fellow Officer In Leg While Attempting To Fire On 'Vicious Dog' Charging At Them

A Chicago cop taking aim at a "vicious dog" allegedly charging towards him struck the animal with a bullet — and a fellow officer in the process.

The officers were responding to a burglary in process in the 1200 block of West 72nd Place in the Englewood neighborhood around 9 p.m. when they encountered the dog in the second floor landing of a building police told the Chicago Sun-Times.

The dog charged toward the men, prompting one officer to fire a single shot that struck both the dog and a second officer, according to a police statement. The Tribune reports the wounded officer was hit in the thigh. Police say it was unclear if the bullet struck the dog or the cop first.

The 42-year-old officer was treated and released at an area hospital.

It was unclear what condition the dog was in following the incident or where the owner was at the time of the shooting. Last fall, owners of a miniature bull terrier filed a lawsuit against the city after a CPD officer shot and wounded their dog.

According to the Associated Press, the Independent Police Review Authority is investigating the incident.

Chicago Shootings: 3 Killed, At Least 17 Wounded In Overnight City Gun Violence

On Chicago's first day with temperatures in the 80s in seven months, at least 20 people were shot over a course of about 10 hours overnight -- and three men among them are dead as of early Wednesday morning.

The shootings began around 6:15 p.m. when three people -- including a 16-year-old boy and two men aged 40 and 44 -- were shot in the 10800 block of South Princeton Avenue. According to the Chicago Tribune, the 16-year-old was listed in stable condition and the older men were in serious-to-critical condition.

Later in the evening, around 10:40 p.m., three men were shot in the 1000 block of West Maxwell Street, which is across the street from the headquarters of the UIC Police Department. DNAinfo Chicago reports 19-year-old Tytrell Jackson was shot in the armpit and pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital at 11:13 p.m. The two other men -- aged 19 and 21 -- were listed in "stable" condition at Stroger.

Just after midnight, 27-year-old Darrin Rodgers was shot in the chest on the same block where he lived -- the 6800 block of South Cornell Avenue in the city's South Shore neighborhood -- and died shortly after being rushed to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, becoming the city's first homicide death of the month of May, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Around 1:20 a.m., Pierre Howlett, 23, was found dead with gunshot wounds to his face and body in an alley in the 1900 block of South Drake Avenue, according to Fox Chicago.

The bloody evening came ahead of the city announcing a 42 percent dip in the number of murders in Chicago during the first four months of the year -- the fewest murders over that period since 1963. Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy appeared on ABC Chicago and other local news broadcasts to announce the news, which he chalked up to a "comprehensive policing strategy and the hard work of our officers," according to the Associated Press.

In an appearance on NBC, McCarthy conceded, "We're going to have good days, we're going to have bad days" and counted Tuesday evening among them. He added the department will need to "examine what happened" that contributed to the violent night.

Cornelius German Killed: Teen Fatally Shot Blocks From Obama's Chicago Home

CHICAGO -- Chicago police say a 15-year-old boy was found fatally shot in a backyard about four blocks from President Barack Obama's home on the city's South Side.

Cornelius German had been shot in the back and was found unresponsive at about 9:40 p.m. Monday in the 700 block of E. 50th Place.

Police Department spokesman John Mirabelli says German was a gang member but that the motive for the shooting was not yet certain.

German was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after he was found.

Obama's home is just blocks away in the Kenwood neighborhood.

Mirabelli says no one is in custody as of Tuesday morning.