Video of CPD shooting that paralyzed boy, 13, released
By: ABC7 Chicago has obtained the frantic bodycam video of the Chicago police shooting of a 13-year-old boy from earlier this year on the city's West Side.
That 13-year-old boy is now paralyzed after the shooting on May 18. We are not naming the officer or the boy because neither has been charged with a crime.
"This young boy's life has changed forever," said Andrew M. Stroth, the family's attorney. "This is an active young boy who is fighting to be able to walk again."
The video is from the body camera of a Chicago police officer as he runs after a 13-year-old suspect believed to have been a passenger in a stolen car. It is shaky, and in these critical moments the officer must determine how to try to take the suspect into custody safely. The chase ends when the officer fires at the boy.
The shots critically injured the boy. The video shows the boy - split seconds before the gunshots - appearing to raise his hands in the air.
"Let's be clear: What the video shows is an unarmed Black boy, running away from the police, puts his hands up, obeying what he heard from the officers, and without cause or provocations is shot," Stroth said.
However, the officer's attorney Timothy M. Grace said in a statement the officer believed the boy was armed with a gun. Investigators said they never found a gun at the scene.
"Let's be clear, what the video shows is an unarmed Black boy, running away from the police, puts his hands up, obeying what he heard from the officers and without cause or provocations is shot," Stroth said.
In the statement, the officer's attorney wrote: "Police officers are required to make split-second decisions and the law not only understands that, but allows for it. Illinois law tells us that we are not supposed to look at these situations with 20-20 hindsight, but rather we should judge the actions of a law enforcement officers from the perspective of a reasonable officer."
After the boy is shot, the video shows officers moving the boy away from a nearby gas pump. We have blurred the shot due to its graphic nature.
Police said they were concerned about fire safety near the pumps at the gas station.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is continuing to investigate and has issued no determination. But the family's attorney says it should be clear.
The family of that 13-year-old filed a federal lawsuit against the city, which identifies the child by the initials "A.G."
"The officer should be held accountable for his unjustified and unconstitutional actions," Stroth said.
The officer involved also did not have his body camera on in the moments leading up to the shooting. He's been relieved of his police powers as the investigation moves forward.
A spokesperson for Chicago police said the department cannot comment at this point while the COPA investigation is continuing.