Chicago Police Officer Shot and Injured, Suspect Killed

— -- A Chicago police officer was shot and injured Thursday night, police said.

The suspect was killed, Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson said during a press conference following the shooting, which occurred in the city's Near South Side neighborhood.

Supt. Johnson said the gunshot wound was to the officer's thigh, and is not life-threatening.

The altercation with the suspect began after the officer and his partner approached a man talking on a cell phone and asked the man to hang up so they could talk to him. At that time, Supt. Johnson said, the man pulled a gun out of a backpack and opened fire.

Multiple officers returned fire, Supt. Johnson said, shooting and killing the suspect. Supt. Johnson said he was not sure if the suspect died at the scene or en route to the hospital.

"It's another example of too many guns, too many people willing to use them," Supt. Johnson said. "But it also demonstrates how Chicago police officers put their lives on the line every day to keep people safe."

The injured officer had received medical training and applied a tourniquet to his leg, while his partner applied pressure to help slow the bleeding. He was transported by squad car to Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

ABC News' Benjamin Stein contributed to this report.