Chicago Police Release Footage of Officer-Involved Shooting of Unarmed Teen
Authorities have released disturbing police bodycam footage of the officer-involved shooting of unarmed 18-year-old Paul O’Neal.
Chicago officials on Friday released a series of nine bodycam videos depicting the events precipitating and following the fatal July 28 shooting of 18-year-old, unarmed Chicago teen Paul O'Neal. (Please be advised that the videos contain graphic content.)
The indicting videos, released by police oversight agency Independent Police Review Authority, depict a swarm of confusion among the three police officers who responded to the scene of an alleged carjacking. Reports the Chicago Tribune:
Police say they spotted O’Neal driving a Jaguar convertible that had been reported stolen. O'Neal allegedly sideswiped two Chicago Police Department vehicles before taking running off on foot. Two officers fired a reported 15 shots while he was in the car, and a third officer fatally wounded him as he fled behind a nearby home on foot.
The three officers involved were reportedly placed on paid administrative leave after superintendent Eddie Johnson determined they violated department policy.
Sharon Fairley, the chief administrator of the IPRA, called the footage “shocking and disturbing” in a statement, and added that the video “is not the only evidence to be gathered and analyzed when conducting a fair and thorough assessment of the conduct of police officers in performing their duties.”
The IPRA is conducting a full investigation of the incident. A spokesperson for the Chicago Police Department posted the following statement from Johnson on Twitter Friday:
