Judge Orders Release of 2013 Chicago Police Shooting

The officers’ deposition revealed Chatman turned his body while running.

As Chatman turned a corner and collapsed in the street, two pedestrians who had almost walked into the line of fire turned and ran in a panic down Jeffery Avenue.

But the judge said on Thursday Officer Fry had endangered Officer Toth’s life when he opened fire because he was so close to the teenager. It is hard to tell if Chatman ever turned to face the officers or if he was carrying anything in his hand. After the judge’s ruling, the city said it would release the videos Thursday afternoon.

“For years we’ve had a systemic problem with the police officers protecting one another”.

“They have to be trained to tell the truth and describe in their own words exactly what occurred”, Davis went on, “rather than reading canned comments you always see”. Last year, Davis filed a federal lawsuit alleging he was sacked for concluding that officers in several shootings – including Chatman’s – were not justified in using lethal force.

With the shooting was ruled as justifiable, the officers have remained on their beats. The public release of the footage followed a reversal by Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration.

City lawyers explained the city was dropping its opposition to the video’s release in an effort to be more transparent while it waits for a recently created special task force to review policies regarding the release of videos showing disputed police shootings, according to documents filed in court Wednesday.

In late December, city lawyers asked the court to withhold the video from the public, arguing that its release could influence the opinions of potential jurors.

“I know there’s a lot of public interest in this, and for good reason”, Gettleman said at a hearing on the matter in early December. “I think it’s irresponsible”.

“The city recognizes…we’re in a new world”, Green said. “Our city is in a crisis, this is no time to celebrate or try to memorial Dr. King under these circumstances”, Dukes said.

“My reaction is that this is something they could have released not only a month ago, but years ago”, Coffman said. A march also is set to take place, heading through the city’s downtown financial district to Emanuel’s home on the North Side. It captured at least parts of the January 7, 2013, incident in a South Shore neighborhood during daylight hours. Authorities said McDonald had taken PCP and had a pocket knife. They dragged me out my auto. They ran the car’s Wisconsin license plates, but the auto came back clean, and they didn’t stop it at the time. It is unclear whether Chatman at one point turns back toward Toth.

The video, which sparked nationwide outrage when it was released, showed Officer Jason Van Dyke firing at Laquan as he lay on the ground.

A supervising investigator of the Independent Police Review Authority, Lorenzo Davis, found the Chatman shooting to be unjustified.

“[Toth was] on the heels of Chatman”, Gettleman said.

In response to the wrongful death lawsuit, the city previously denied there was any cover up. They also acknowledged neither yelled to the other during the brief chase. But the Chatman family lawyers have said it’s clear enough to show the teenager didn’t turn. “I see in his right hand a dark gray or black object”, Fry said, according to court records. Both are claims made by Officer Kevin Fry, the officer who shot him.

The Justice Department is investigating Chicago police use of lethal force. “I felt his threat was as such that I didn’t have time to say anything”, Fry said. The video of that killing was not released until November.

An attorney for the officers said the videos support their story.