Police say they are investigating why that officer’s body cam was not recording. The police department is looking into why the officer’s device was not working when he fired at O’Neal. He later died from his wounds.
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Two Chicago officers were stripped of their police authority on Friday after a preliminary investigation found they may have violated department policies during a shooting the day before, the department said.
Police say the Independent Police Review Authority and Chicago Police Department are investigating into why the fatal encounter was not recorded by the body camera.
The officers, whose names have not been released, were “relieved of power”, which means they were stripped of their badge and gun and placed on desk duty.
Police said three officers shot Paul O’Neal Thursday night after he sideswiped a patrol auto and hit a parked vehicle while driving a stolen Jaguar, injuring some officers.
Eventually the crowd reconvened and cheered loudly as one of the organizers announced on a bullhorn – incorrectly – that the officers had been fired for violating police policy.
“There’s a lot of video footage of it, but the actual encounter, that part is not captured on video”, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said at a press conference Monday. [Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images]”So if it’s an honest mistake, then we will get them training, coaching, mentoring and get them back out there”.
The cameras are able to record up to 72 hours of audio and video on a single charge.
Police can not legally shoot fleeing suspects unless they pose a threat to an officer’s life or the officer’s good-faith belief that they pose a substantial danger to the public. “We have also heard that the police department or the police took off their body cams or disconnected them”.
Johnson’s decision to suspend the three police officers involved in the shooting has been widely welcomed.
Community relations between police remain fraught with deep-seated distrust of law enforcement. O’Neal was black; police have not provided any identifying information about the officers who were involved. The officer, Jason Van Dyke, is facing murder and misconduct charges, and has pleaded not guilty.
Across Chicago, up to five people were killed, and 31 others sustained injuries in shootings this past weekend, NBC Chicago reported.
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At the same time, Chicago has been rocked by violent crime. “[The officers] will be assigned to administrative positions within the agency pending the outcome of (the Independent Police Review Authority’s) investigation and our continuing internal administrative review”.
