Skip to content
Advertisement

Activist demanding body camera footage from latest shooting of Black man in Chicago

Advertisement
Chicago P.D. (264783)
Chicago P.D.

The news that a Black man was killed by police in Chicago is so common these days that it hardly makes national news anymore. The latest happened over the weekend when police shot and killed Harith Augustus because he reportedly was “Exhibiting characteristics of an armed person,” reports CBS News. William Calloway, a community activist, says a short video shown from the body camera of one officer does not answer crucial questions about the incident that happened last Saturday afternoon. Calloway also pointed out that it is legal in the city and state to carry a concealed weapon, so it is unclear why Augustus was singled out. Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson told reporters Sunday that detectives have found no documentation that Augustus had a concealed carry permit, but Calloway said there is no way officers at the scene could have known that when they approached him. A department spokesman, Tom Ahern, said officers have the right to pat a person down on the street if they are concerned about their own safety. “If they feel someone is acting suspiciously or they see a bulge under their shirt, if the person is evasive or refuses to answer questions, they can do a protective pat down,” he said, adding that the officer must be able to “articulate why they have a reasonable suspicion” that a person could pose a threat. “They can’t start digging through their pockets… but they can pat down the outside of their clothes.” More than 200 protesters showed up in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood Monday, protesting violence by police, according to news reports. The station reports unrelated violence broke out before the protest began. About 45 minutes before the protest, violence struck only one block away. Police secured the scene at 70th and Jeffrey, as two shooting victims were taken away by ambulance. The shooting happened only feet from the memorial for a barber for which demonstrators were marching. The video released by police did not include sound, so it is impossible to hear what was said by either Augustus or any of the four officers at the scene. It shows one of the officers trying to grab the arm of Augustus, who spins and runs away with a clearly visible holstered gun on his hip. “He was having a civil conversation with the Black cop at first so we need to know what he and that officer were saying,” Calloway said. “There needs to be (footage) from four police officers with audio.” Ahern said the department would not release any more video and any decision to do so would have to be made by the agency that investigates such incidents, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA). In a written statement, COPA said that releasing all the video now “may jeopardize the integrity of our investigation,” but that the video would be released no later than 60 days from the date of the incident. At a news conference Sunday to announce the release of the 51-second video, Johnson said the way the technology works is that there is a “30-second buffer period” without audio before the sound is activated. It is unclear why there is no sound throughout the entire video that was released.

Advertisement

Latest