‘Nothing happened,’ Ald. Derrick Curtis says of shooting that left daughter wounded

CHICAGO — Less than two weeks after his adult daughter was shot during one of his gun safety classes, 18^th Ward Ald. Derrick Curtis insisted that “nothing happened” and “she’s fine.”

Curtis’ comments came in response to questions posed by WGN Investigates following Wednesday’s City Council meeting.

Asked if he was in touch with the Illinois State Police regarding his certification to teach concealed carry classes, Curtis said, “Absolutely. I’m good.”

Curtis responded “no comment” when asked if he would continue teaching the classes.

Curtis’ 25-year-old daughter was shot during a Jan. 5 concealed carry class that Curtis was giving at a church in his Southwest Side ward.

At one point during the class, someone handed Curtis’ daughter a loaded Glock 19 pistol and the weapon discharged, striking her in the right leg.

While she was treated at Christ Medical Center, Curtis’ daughter told Chicago police that her father was handing her the weapon when it went off, police records show. When officers arrived at the church, though, Curtis’ son told them that he was handing the gun over when it fired.

The shooting occurred about three months after Curtis shot himself in the wrist while cleaning a gun in the 8200 block of South Christiana.

Last week — a day before it was revealed that Curtis’ daughter was shot — the alderman told the Chicago Sun-Times that he was reconsidering his support for Mayor Lori Lightfoot in the upcoming election, in part, because she did not check on him after he was shot last year.

After Wednesday’s council meeting adjourned, Lightfoot walked over to Curtis and asked him how he was doing, and she encouraged Curtis to return her calls.

“You say I don’t talk to you. You say I don’t reach out. I’m making sure there’s a record,” Lightfoot told Curtis.