The wrongful-death lawsuit, filed Monday, alleges that police officers effectively “executed” Paul O’Neal when they curbed an allegedly stolen vehicle near 73rd and Merrill last Thursday, attorney Michael Oppenheimer said at a news conference at the shooting site. The release of a video last fall of a white officer shooting black teen Laquan McDonald 16 times led to protests around the city, the firing of former Superintendent Garry McCarthy and the launching of a U.S. Justice Department probe of policing practices in Chicago. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital. An autopsy revealed that he was shot in the back. Usually, officers involved in such incidents are put on desk duty and monitored. They now will be on administrative duty, but not have their police powers and not return to regular duty unless they are cleared in the IPRA and internal investigations.
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But while no gun was found, the policy also says that officers “will not unreasonably endanger themselves or another person to conform to the restrictions of this directive”, meaning they had the right to defend themselves if they or someone else were in imminent danger of being struck by the vehicle.
“I also still have quite a few questions as to what exactly happened here, but it is still going to be a little while before we have our answers internally to those questions, as well as IPRA being able to have all of their questions answered as well”, he said.
Johnson has not commented specifically on which departmental policies were violated in the shooting, but in 2015, the department revised its use-of-force policy to prohibit firing on a moving vehicle if it was the only threat against the officers or others.
UPDATE (3:23 p.m.): Chicago police officials on Monday said the body camera worn by the officer who fatally shot O’Neal did not record the actual shooting.
Calloway said the only way for the public to know if criminal charges are warranted is if they see the video.
Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson “spent most of this afternoon with top advisors and command staff reviewing the preliminary information from the incident”. [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”.
Johnson’s decision to suspend the three police officers involved in the shooting has been widely welcomed.
Meanwhile, according to CBS, a 17-year-old boy was in the stolen Jaguar vehicle with O’Neal before the latter attempted to flee and was shot. The teenager has not been identified.
Police say officers exited their vehicle around 7:30 p.m. Thursday after stopping a Jaguar convertible that had been reported stolen.
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Across Chicago, up to five people were killed, and 31 others sustained injuries in shootings this past weekend, NBC Chicago reported.
