Three Videos of Black Chicago Teenager’s Police Shooting Death Released

This time, Cedrick Chatman, 17.

Fearing for his life, Fry fired four shots.

In the Chatman case, it was unclear how much the videos would reveal. Chicago website before the city’s official release, shows two officers chasing Chatman, Chatman running around a corner, one officer drawing his gun, and then Chatman on the ground, all within 10 seconds. Chatman “pointed a dark object back toward the officers as he continued to run” at some point, according to the Independent Police Review Authority.

“It’s so that there is no question that justice and fairness will be done in police involved shootings, and that this cozy relationship between prosecutors and police won’t impede the justice system from flowing”, he says.

Community groups and leaders allege a cover-up in the McDonald case and there have been calls for him and Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez to resign. Neither officer has been charged with wrongdoing, and both remain on full-duty status.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has pursued some reforms, but only after bystander Bettie Jones, a 55-year-old mother of five, was, according to the Chicago Police Department, “accidentally struck and tragically killed” during an altercation with a 19-year-old man having a mental health episode.

They said in a Wednesday court filing that the city was dropping its opposition in an effort to be more transparent while it waited for a recently created special task force to review policies regarding the release of videos showing disputed police shootings.

U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman told city lawyers during a Thursday hearing he was “very disturbed” by how they dealt with video showing a white police officer fatally shooting a black teenager, Cedrick Chatman, in 2013.

Gettleman agreed to allow its release but said he “went to a lot of trouble to decide this issue” only for the city to suddenly declare it was going to be transparent. “I think those are necessary things that will help, hopefully, to save lives”. Gettleman said. “We shouldn’t be releasing sensitive information or protected information for the interest of trying the case in the press”.

“The city recognizes, however, we’re in a new world”, Green said.

Chatman’s family have sued the city over the shooting and asked to release the video to show he was unarmed.

Mark Smolens, podium left, and Brian Coffman right, attorneys for the family of Cedrick Chatman, who was shot and killed by Chicago police in 2013, speak at a news conference at the federal courthouse Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016, in Chicago.

Coffman noted Emanuel’s attorneys had continued to argue strenuously against the video’s release in a court filing just a few weeks ago. As two officers in plainclothes approached, Chatman bolted from the vehicle and ran down Jeffery Avenue. Several prominent pastors said they’d boycott. “They all came out of the same house”, the man can be heard saying on audio released Friday. When the call came over the radio minutes later about the carjacking, they doubled back and caught up with Chatman at the intersection of 75th and Jeffery Avenue.

City officials said the video footage from three cameras, including a police camera, would likely be released later on Thursday. Camden said Chatman had appeared to reach for something in the passenger seat before bolting from the auto. He is being chased by Office Lou Toth.

Chicago had already fought unsuccessfully to keep secret two videos that show police officers killing people under questionable circumstances. The family has filed a wrongful death suit against the city of Chicago. Court documents say a high school’s security camera recorded police running after the 17-year-old in a South Shore neighborhood during daylight hours and recorded one officer fatally shooting him. “It was – it extended in front of his body”. Attorneys for the Chatman family said that the video refutes this account.