Chicago officer shot in traffic stop released from hospital

CHICAGO (AP) — A Chicago police officer who was shot during an attempted traffic stop last week was released from the hospital on Sunday.

Officer Erik Moreno was greeted by fellow officers, who cheered as he left a Chicago hospital in a wheelchair.

Moreno was shot June 5 as he and other officers in an unmarked squad car attempted to stop a vehicle they said was driving erratically on the city's South Side, according to police. The officers followed the vehicle into an alley, where they say a man got out and began firing. Officers returned fire, injuring the man.

Jerome Halsey, 27, of Chicago, remains hospitalized. He faces charges of attempted murder and aggravated battery charges. During a court hearing, his defense attorney said Halsey has as a Firearm Owners Identification card and a permit to carry a concealed weapon, and that he feared for his life when he began firing, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

Moreno was the third law enforcement officer shot in Chicago in the span of one week. Another Chicago officer was shot during a traffic stop a few days before Moreno and was released from the hospital on Monday. A member of U.S. Marshals Service’s fugitive apprehension team was shot in the hand while serving a warrant. The officer declined to be treated at a hospital.

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