The Civilian Office of Police Accountability investigators have found that it’s unclear if the man who was fatally shot by police early Wednesday on the Northwest Side had fired his weapon after the police superintendent said there was an exchange of gunfire.
The office confirmed a weapon was recovered from the scene in the 3700 block of North Troy Street in the Irving Park neighborhood and that body-worn camera video captures the initial interaction and the shooting, COPA said in a news release. But COPA has not determined if the man who was killed fired his weapon at police, contrasting Superintendent David Brown’s statement on the shooting.
“Our investigation is ongoing, investigators will continue to canvass the area and are attempting to identify and obtain additional video, as well as identify witnesses from the night of the incident. We are committed to a full and thorough investigation to determine the facts related to this incident and if the actions of the involved officers are in accordance with department training and policy,” said COPA First Deputy Chief Administrator, Ephraim Eaddy in a written statement.
Brown said during a news conference Wednesday that “There was an apparent exchange of gunfire between the offender and officers.”
According to COPA, officers responded to a call of an altercation near 3700 N. Kedzie Ave. Officers engaged with someone walking nearby, suspecting he was involved in the altercation. Two officers exited their vehicle and chased the man on foot, telling him to get on the ground.
The man ran into an alley, fell to the ground and was told by the officers to stay on the ground, COPA said. When the man began to get up, both officers fired their weapon multiple times at the man, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
COPA will post materials related to the shooting within 60 days after it occurred, in accordance with the city’s video release policy.
Brown had said there were two officers involved in the shooting, one a 12-year veteran and one a probationary officer. Police investigators had believed both officers discharged their weapons, according to body camera footage, which captured the shooting. Brown said there will likely be other security video and camera footage from Police Observation Devices that captured the shooting.
Anyone who has information or video footage related to the shooting, can contact COPA at 312-746-3609 or at ChicagoCOPA.org.
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