Patrons at a South Shore nail salon hit the floor Thursday evening when a gun inside the purse of an off-duty Chicago police officer accidentally discharged inside the crowded salon, striking the officer in the leg.



The 22-year veteran officer was shot at about 7:20 p.m. in the right thigh while inside Tracy's Nails, 2138 E. 71st St.



Salon manager David Thai said the salon was very crowded and busy Thursday as people prepared for the Easter holiday weekend. The officer had just sat down to get her nails done at the time.



"She dropped the purse and the gun went off," said Thai.



He said his shop is so small that when the gun discharged the loud blast filled the entire salon.



"It scared everybody, everybody was down on the floor," he said. "I was on the floor and she said, 'I've been shot.' It was loud."



After the shooting, the officer asked someone to call 911 and identified herself as a police officer. Thai said that while she is a long-time patron he never knew she was a police officer.



"She don't wear a uniform," said Thai. "After she said, 'I'm an officer,' that's when I was a little bit comfortable."



He said that the officer ended up shooting herself in the right thigh but the injury did not seem very serious. He said that since there were so many people in the shop at the time he realizes that it could have been much worse. No one else was injured, according to police and Thai.



"At that time I was busy, very busy time," he said. "You know how ladies are, they're screaming."



He said the officer was talking afterward as paramedics took her to the hospital.



She was taken to John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County in good condition.



The Independent Police Review Authority is investigating the incident, according to a spokeswoman.



chicagobreaking@tribune.com

