A Chicago independent police oversight organization released body camera footage on Wednesday that showed the March 31 fatal officer-involved shooting of Anthony Alvarez, who was armed with a gun.
Law enforcement approached the 22-year-old and tried to speak with him, but he fled on foot, leading officers on a chase, wrote the Civilian Office of Police Accountability. Police commanded him to drop his firearm, though he appeared to refuse, and shots were fired. It is unclear why officers first approached him.
He was later pronounced dead at a local hospital, Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown said during a press conference.
Video released by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability showed law enforcement chasing Alvarez, a person “familiar” to police, through a gas station before he made his way to the outside of a series of residential buildings.
CHICAGO OFFICIALS RELEASE VIDEO SHOWING MOMENT OFFICER FATALLY SHOOTS TEENAGER
“Hey, drop the gun! Drop the gun!” an officer yelled before he discharged his handgun several times.
Alvarez dropped what police said was a pistol as he fell to the ground and asked police, “Why are you shooting me?”
“You had a gun,” the officer replied. Another officer said, “The gun is right there.”
Other footage showed Alvarez bleeding from his leg and waist as police tried to apply a tourniquet. Authorities can also be seen performing CPR before other units arrived.
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability recommended that the officer involved “be relieved of police powers during the pendency of this investigation,” though Brown indicated that the police officer in question has been put on the standard, 30-day administrative leave.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability, an organization within the city of Chicago, is set to conduct an independent investigation of the shooting and submit its recommendations to Brown when complete, the superintendent said. Brown will then make a decision on whether the shooting aligns with department policy, and a final police board will issue the verdict on how to proceed.
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There was an officer-involved shooting death of 13-year-old Adam Toledo, who died on March 29 in Chicago after running from law enforcement with a firearm. Questions have been raised as to whether the teenager dropped the gun before he was fired upon, and protests in the city have surged following the circulation of body camera footage.
Assistant State Attorney James Murphy was placed on paid leave after he told Judge Susana Ortiz on April 10 that Toledo was holding a pistol in his right hand when an officer fatally shot him. However, body camera footage of the incident, which was released by the state attorney’s office after the incident, appeared to show the teenager dropping the firearm seconds before the police officer pulled the trigger.
