Officials in Chicago have released a video filmed by security cameras, showing police shooting and killing unarmed black teen Cedrick Chatman. The 17-year-old was fleeing police on foot, after he ran from a car that was reported to be stolen. In the moments that follow, one of the two pursuing officers shoots Chatman four times as he appears to be running away. The other officer then cuffs the teen as he lay on the ground and puts his foot on him. Chatman died from his injuries. Police initially said that Chatman turned “slightly” toward them before he was shot, and they thought he was armed. But, it was revealed the only thing he had in his hand was an iPhone box. Neither of the officers involved were disciplined for the shooting.
For nearly three years since the shooting, the city refused to release the video. Adding to the controversy, when an independent investigator initially ruled that the shooting was unjustified, he was fired, and a new investigator was assigned to the case. This week, a federal judge said the mayor and city officials had been “irresponsible” to fight the release of the video until now, adding, “I’m very disturbed at the way this happened. This should not have happened the way it did.” Chatman’s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city.
