Chicago police patrol chief Fred Waller told a news conference that the man was shot in the South Shore neighborhood after police officers on foot tried to question him because “the bulge around his waistband” suggested he was armed. The man became combative and eventually broke free from the officers, Waller said.
“They thought he appeared to be reaching for a weapon, which he did have a weapon on him, and the officers tragically shot him,” he said.
UPDATE: Officers assigned to a foot assignment observe a man exhibiting characteristics of an armed person. Officers go to question him when a confrontation ensues and he is shot. The man was fatally wounded. A weapon recovered on scene. pic.twitter.com/8CJXu8m5pa
— Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) July 15, 2018
The unidentified man was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead. Waller said police believe the man did not have a concealed carry permit for the semi-automatic weapon. He also had magazines of ammunition, Waller said.
Immediately after the shooting, an angry crowd gathered and began jostling with police, who had cordoned off the area. Waller said protesters threw bottles and jumped on top of a squad car. Police then moved in wielding batons to stop them.
“It got a little bit out of hand. Several arrests were made,” Waller said.
Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi tweeted that four protesters were arrested.
UPDATE – CPD has cleared the crime scene. Several officers were injured from rocks and thrown bottles. 4 demonstrators were arrested. pic.twitter.com/LWnLqstwVs
— Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) July 15, 2018
Several police officers were slightly injured in the scuffles, Waller said, and some squad cars were damaged.
After nightfall, protesters continued to mill around the neighborhood with police occasionally chasing them away. Video showed one protester thrown to the ground surrounded by police holding batons.
Chicago has a troubled history of police shootings. The city erupted in protest in 2015 after the release of a video showing white police officer Jason Van Dyke shooting black 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times in 2014. Van Dyke was charged with murder. McDonald’s death led to the ouster of the police chief and a series of reforms designed to prevent future police abuses and to hold officers accountable.
A wild guess: “He was black” ?
A journalist on the scene (can’t find his tweet thread now) said the man was originally approached for selling “loosies” (individual cigarettes) which he’d actually been handing to his aunt.
He also noted that his friends said he was armed and had a concealed carry permit.
Fun Bonus Fact: The journalist recorded the police-provoked melee that followed when they accosted people peacefully protesting the shooting. He had his press credentials in one hand and his phone in the other, recording. He was pushed by the cops, had his phone slapped out of his hand and was, of course, thrown to the ground.
Waiting for the unusual suspects to appear to scream, ‘wait until we have the facts!’ or ‘he souldn’t have run from the police’ or ‘if he had nothing to hide, why was he running’ etc, etc…
WTF is ‘Exhibiting Characteristics Of An Armed Person’?
Existing while black.