Man Faces Felony Charges in Shooting of Chicago Firefighter
Source Firehouse.com News
A 29-year-old man was arrested in connection with the shooting and wounding a Chicago firefighter who was responding to a car fire earlier this week.
Hollis Williams faces four felony counts stemming from the Feb 2 incident and his arrest Thursday, the Chicago Tribune reports. He was charged with the unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, aggravated battery of a firefighter, aggravated battery of a police officer and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.
According to police, Williams struck a squad car and ran over an officer's foot in the vehicle he was in while authorities tried to arrest him Thursday. He then fled on foot before police apprehended him.
The shooting happened after firefighters responded to a car fire at about 1 a.m. in Chicago's Albany Park neighborhood. Police said the fire was started as a way to draw out people who lived in a nearby building, according to the Tribune
A group of four people left the building, and a woman got in a vehicle and drove off. That's when shots were fired at the woman, and two men with her returned fire.
A firefighter, 36, was wounded in the lower left leg in the exchange. According to police, Williams was one of the men accompanying the woman who opened fire, the Tribune added.
Following the shooting, the firefighter, who has six years with the department, was taken to the hospital and later released. He's currently recovering at home.
“Whenever a public safety employee, particularly a firefighter, is attacked, we not only take it very seriously, we look at it as an attack on the whole fabric of society,” interim Chicago police Superintendent Charlie Beck said at a Saturday news conference.
Investigators are continuing to search for additional individuals from the incident, according to the Tribune.
