- cross-posted to:
- chicago@midwest.social
Body-worn camera footage of the January 25 incident in Gresham was released by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability today.
A Chicago Police officer responding to a ShotSpotter alert fired shots at a child who was playing with fireworks—that’s the conclusion from the Civilian Office of Police Accountability in a statement released today.
“COPA can confirm that a firearm was not used against the officers,” said COPA First Deputy Chief Administrator, Ephraim Eaddy.
CPD initially identified the child as a man, claiming he had opened fire first.
They also reported seeing “flashes of light.”
“When officers arrived in the area, they observed an individual, who has now been identified as a juvenile, standing near a residence. As one officer exited the vehicle, they heard a loud bang, which was later determined to be fireworks. The officer who exited the vehicle discharged their firearm in the direction of the juvenile, who was not struck by gunfire,” investigators state in the press release about the incident.
Body-worn camera footage from the three officers responding to the ShotSpotter alert appears to show one officer immediately fire his gun after hearing a loud bang.
He then yells, “Shots fired! Shots fired!” as another officer radios in a “10-1,” indicating officers are in need of urgent assistance.
Why are cops allowed to discharge firearms without at least a target? Dude fired 3 rounds wildly after the firework sound. Then they went around shouting “hands up” at some bushes.
These people are a fucking menace.
Doesn’t help that being a cop unironically requires less training then the vast majority of other jobs. You would think giving someone a gun to point at people, who they’re largely supposed to “protect” would require at least a few years of training.
To elaborate further, it requires less, as in police forces have won lawsuits to specifically hire under-qualified applicants. It’s not just a quirk of a unstructured administration - it is their goal.
I had the idea (source: fictional TV) that ALL cops had to be trained at a police academy before becoming cops. That’s not the case?
Training is where they learn to shoot first ask questions later