The fatal shot is not shown in the video and police are investigating why the body camera of the officer who fired the bullet was not turned on, or if it malfunctioned.
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After the incident, the Chicago police suspended three of its officers for violating protocols.
One officer can be heard saying, “I shot”. However, the force later confirmed no weapon was recovered from the scene.
O’Neal’s family lawyer, Michael Oppenheimer, called it a cold-blooded murder and accused the police officers of taking law into their own hands.
Police said O’Neal stole a auto on 28 July, leading to a police chase.
Before the release of the videos, Sharon Fairley, IPRA’s chief administrator, said in a statement that the agency is proceeding “as deliberately and expediently as possible in pursuit of a swift but fair determination” into the teen’s shooting.
The release of the video footage comes as the department is in the midst of a Justice Department civil rights investigation, launched past year following the court-ordered release of dashcam video that showed a white officer shoot a black teen 16 times on a city street.
Late last year, Chicago officials made public a video showing Officer Jason Van Dyke fatally shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald, after the teenager ignored instructions to drop a knife he was allegedly using to slash auto tires. But, some argue the videos show the department has a way to go before its policing syncs with these reforms.
What next follows is a discussion between some half a dozen officers who also ask the youth if he had fired at them, despite him being unarmed. He was allegedly in a stolen vehicle, which sped off during an attempted traffic stop. They show two officers firing at least 10 rounds in three or four seconds at a stolen Jaguar after it narrowly missed hitting one of the officers. Another officer can be heard asking, “Why did you have to shoot at us?”
Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson promised the officers will be held accountable if found to have acted inappropriately. Authorities have not specified which policy the officers broke. Chicago use of force policy strictly prohibits police to do so when the vehicle represents the only danger.
The officer appears to be Hispanic and other police refer to him as “Diaz” after the shooting.
Briana Adams briefly addressed reporters on Friday before she became too upset to speak.
Nine videos recovered from police body and dashboard cameras were released shortly after 11 a.m. local time this morning.
“The police department is now saying that these brand new body cameras, that are supposed to save the world and give the police and the public transparency, did not work”, he said at a Monday press conference. In addition to the appointment of Mr. Johnson, Emanuel instituted all officers wear body-cameras. “It is one of the most horrific things that I have seen”.
On the body cam two officers are seen stopping their S.U.V. on a residential street while the stolen Jaguar rapidly approaches them head-on. Whatever the intent, the officers immediately stopped talking.
On Saturday, Johnson’s remarks at the Chicago Police headquarters, at 3510 S. Michigan, were not interrupted.
Officers are then seen handcuffing O’Neal, who is face down on the ground with blood on the back of his white shirt.
Oppenheimer said O’Neal’s family viewed the video on Friday, and relatives were so distraught that they left without speaking to the media.
Family spokesperson Ja’Mal Green told CNN: “They can only take so much”.
Police then chased O’Neal on foot after the teenager bolted from the vehicle. One officer needs help scaling a wooden gate. Another is unable to climb over and walks around to the rear of another home where the suspect is on the ground.
Johnson was named in March to lead the department, which is facing accusations of racism and a federal investigation into its practices after the city waited more than a year to release video of a separate 2014 fatal shooting by officers. A per Oppenheimer, police played judge, jury and executioner roles during the chase conducted over the 18-year-old teenager.
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Friday’s video release was the first of a fatal police shooting under a new policy that calls for such material to be made public within 60 days.
