Dashcam video released this week shows a Chicago police officer purportedly shooting into a car of teenagers more than a dozen times.
A retired Cook County judge who called the incident “disturbing on a whole different level" released the footage to the Chicago Reporter. The video allegedly shows a Chicago police officer firing at a vehicle near 95th and South LaSalle streets on Dec. 22, 2013.
Six black teens were inside the vehicle, and two of the teens were wounded in the shooting, according to the Reporter. The officer involved in the shooting was identified in court documents as Marco Proano.
In the nearly three minute dashcam video, Proano arrives at the scene where a vehicle had been stopped by two other officers. Proano is seen approaching the vehicle with his gun pointed sideways, and when the driver of the vehicle puts the car in reverse, he raises his gun and opens fire.
The video, which was under a protective order, was given to the Reporter by retired Cook County Judge Andrew Berman, according to the publication. Berman had previously heard a criminal case involving one of the teens.
Chicago police said in a statement that the officer involved in the shooting was moved off the street and assigned to desk duty and the matter was referred to state and federal authorities.
“Each time an officer fires their weapon is a serious matter, which is why the city takes two very important steps for each shooting incident: we conduct an independent, civilian led investigation, and we refer each incident to prosecutors to determine if criminal charges are appropriate,” the statement read. “Due to pending investigations by IPRA and federal authorities, CPD cannot comment further.”
A lawsuit filed by the mothers of three teens injured in the incident, including the two who were shot, alleges Proano fired more than a dozen rounds into the vehicle, striking one teen in the shoulder and another in the hip and heel.
The suit claims the teens did not show a weapon or act violent during the shooting and alleges police removed the injured teens from hospitals without authorization to take them to a police station for questioning.
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In a separate court filing, Proano reportedly admitted to the shooting, but denies claims that the teens did not show a weapon.
The city has tentatively agreed to a $360,000 settlement with the mothers, according to court records. The settlement has not yet been approved by the City Council.
Chicago police said that earlier this year, Supt. Garry McCarthy changed the department’s policy to clarify that officers are “prevented from firing at or into a moving vehicle when the vehicle is the only force used against the sworn member or another person.”
IPRA late Friday released the following statement to NBC Chicago:
"IPRA thoroughly investigates every officer involved shooting. At the outset, we refer each and every case to prosecutors for their review and a determination if criminal charges may be warranted prior to taking certain steps in conducting our own administrative investigation. This is done because a criminal investigation always takes precedence over an administrative investigation. This case has been actively investigated by IPRA since the incident occurred and was referred to prosecutors shortly after it took place in December 2013. At the time of the incident, Officer Proano was removed from his District of assignment and placed on desk duty at Public Safety Headquarters. The incident remains under investigation by federal authorities and IPRA.”
