Judge rules video of Chicago police shooting can be released

A lawyer for the family of a 17-year-old black carjacking suspect fatally shot by a white Chicago police officer in 2013 hopes video of the shooting just released by the city will prompt a new look at the case and possibly even lead to the reopening of a criminal investigation. Brian. W. Coffman, an attorney for the teen’s mother, says the video shows “someone running away as fast as he can – that’s it”.

Officer Fry says he fired fearing for his and his partners’ lives when Chatman, fleeing on foot, turned his body slightly to the right, back toward the officers, with a dark object in his hand.

Fry’s partner, officer Lou Toth, was chasing Chatman, but Fry said in his deposition that he opened fire after seeing the teen turn slightly toward them.

The video’s release comes at a time when Chicago city officials are facing increased public pressure and questions for how they handle police shootings. A 911 call recording shows that the person who was carjacked was bleeding from the face and said, “I was beat… they dragged me out the auto”, though the person did not say if the attackers had weapons.

This incident follows a slew of other questionable practices and cover ups by the Chicago Police Department (CPD) that the U.S. Department of Justice is now investigating.

Chapman, age 17, was carrying a black i-Phone box when he was shot and the officer later claimed he thought it was a gun.

The attorney said he was surprised by the Emanuel administration’s about-face, which came after months of vigorous argument from city attorneys to keep the footage out of the public eye until the end of the trial.

A US magistrate previously sided with the city, agreeing the video should be kept from the public, but lawyers for Chatman’s family asked a federal judge in December to overturn the ruling.

By afternoon, Emanuel (D) faced the prospect of more protests in the city, beginning with some black ministers’ plans to boycott the mayor’s annual breakfast commemorating the life of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on Friday.

Both incidents involved a white police officer shooting a black suspect.

According to the police account of the shooting, Chatman ditched a stolen vehicle and ran from two officers.

Cedrick’s family attorney and the attorney for the officers disagree on what the videos show.

But unlike the now-infamous dash-cam video of McDonald being shot 16 times, the videos in the Chatman case are dark and somewhat indistinct, showing mostly distant views of the shooting. Attorneys for the officers say the video supports their version of events. Neither officer in the Chatman shooting has been charged with wrongdoing, and both remain on full-duty status.

Once Chatman runs past objects obscuring the officer’s aim, Fry takes the shot he has positioned himself for, Lorenzo said. The footage was obtained from a police surveillance camera as well as cameras outside a convenience store and by South Shore High School.

His conclusion in the case was reversed after a supervisor, Joshua Hunt, reviewed Davis’ work and accused him of being sloppy in his investigation. The shooting occurred in October of previous year. “We’re still hoping it’s a systemic change in the way police misconduct is treated in the city of Chicago, and that’s what this fight is about”, said Smolens.

Boykin says lawmakers in Cook County-the place where Chicago is located-plan to push the IL legislature to adopt a new law that would allow the governor to mandate that a special prosecutor be appointed to examine cases involving police and unarmed civilians.