Paul O'Neal Shooting Videos Released: Chicago Police Warn of 'Civil Unrest'
Chicago city officials have released video footage of an unarmed, 18-year-old black youth, Paul O'Neal, being gunned by police last month prompting the attorney for the victim's family to characterize the deadly act as a case of "cold-blooded murder." Paul O'Neal died of gunshot wounds he suffered in the South Shore neighborhood on July 28, at least one of them to the back, reportedly.
Reports are police chased and opened fire on O'Neal after they encountered him in a stolen Jaguar near where he took his last breath.
Several Videos Made Public
Multiple videos made public on Friday show police firing on the vehicle as O'Neal tried to speed away and later captured officers chasing him on foot as multiple shots rang out.
Newly installed Police Commissioner Eddie Johnson has already stripped three cops involved in the shooting of their guns and pulled them off the street, hinting that department policy may have been broken.
On Friday, the agency that probes allegations of police misconduct labeled video of the shooting "shocking."
Speaking on behalf of O'Neal's survivors, family attorney Michael Oppenheimer said that the family is demanding that a special prosecutor be assigned to handle the case.
In the footage, officers can be seen firing on O'Neal as he whizzes by. After he was wounded, cops can be observed pushing his head down and cuffing his hands behind his back.
"What I saw was a cold-blooded murder," said Oppenheimer. "It was a cold-blooded killing. You don't even shoot - you shouldn't even shoot dogs that are running away."
After O'Neal is in custody, one officer can be overhead on the video lamenting that he'll now be forced on desk duty. Department policy dictates that all officers involved in shootings be assigned to desk duty.
In encountering O'Neil, Oppenheimer added officers took on the role of "judge, jury and executioner."
He added, "We just watched the family watch the execution of their loving son. It is one of the most horrific things that I have seen."
Cops Issue Warning
In the wake of the video's release, CPD members warned other officers of the possibility for "civil unrest" and potential violence against police in a nationwide conference call.
The bulletin admitted that officer's "violated policy" in their dealings with O'Neal.
The deadly incident comes as the latest black-eye suffered by the law enforcement arm of the nation's third largest city. The community is still grappling with the 2014 police shooting of teenager Laquan McDonald.
He was struck at least 16 times in a shooting that has left a former Chicago police officer still facing murder charges. Earlier this year, a task force convened by Mayor Rahm Emanuel also accused the police of widespread racism.
The O'Neal family has already filed a federal lawsuit against the officers involved in the shooting.
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