Off-Duty Chicago Police Officer Shoots Couple On Chicago's West Side

An off-duty Chicago police officer early Wednesday allegedly shot two individuals, injuring one of them critically, in the city's Lawndale neighborhood.

Chicago police say the shooting occurred around 1 a.m. near the intersection of 15th Place and Albany Avenue , the Chicago Tribune reports. The off-duty detective was driving when he stopped to look into a "disturbance" involving several people.

After the detective stopped and announced his office, a man allegedly approached his car and the officer opened fire from his car, striking the man in the hand and a woman he was with in the head, according to the Tribune.

The two shot in the incident were taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital, where the woman shot in the head is listed in critical condition , ABC Chicago reports. The man is in good condition.

NBC Chicago reports that police say the man approaching the detective's car was holding a gun , while one the man's family members said he was holding a cell phone -- not a gun.

Police did not indicate Wednesday morning whether they had recovered a weapon from the scene of the police-involved shooting , the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Two other individuals allegedly involved in the incident were also apprehended, according to ABC.

Pat Camden, police union spokesman, defended the shooting, according to the Sun-Times. Camden said that the detective identified himself twice before opening fire.