A Cook County courtroom packed with Chicago police officers and their families erupted in cheers Thursday afternoon after a judge found fellow cops Ruben Reynoso and Christopher Liakopoulos not guilty in connection with an on-duty shooting in July 2022 that left an unarmed man wounded.
Attorney Tim Grace said his client, officer Liakopoulas was “ecstatic” when judge Lawrence Flood announced his verdict. “These guys have been through 13 months of absolute agony, charged with serious crimes,” Grace said.
Flood said he found the prosecution’s star witness, Miguel Medina, who was wounded during the encounter, not to be credible because he had been on a two-day alcohol and cannabis binge at the time.
The judge found that the officers, who could have faced up to 30 years in prison, acted in self-defense. Flood said the officers had reason to be suspicious of the five men they saw on the street, especially after Medina and a juvenile who was walking with him approached their car.
“This was never a case,” said John Catanzara, the President of Chicago’s Fraternal Order of Police. “It should never have been brought forth,” he said.
While she admitted to being disappointed by the verdict, Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx said it was the job of her office to bring cases like this one. “We charged this case because we believe we have to hold those accountable who go against the law...even police officers,” she said.
Initially, Liakopoulos and Reynoso claimed on incident report forms that they were fired on first, a claim that was not supported by video evidence.
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Foxx said that explains why a 16-year-old, who did later fire upon the officers, was never charged. “Because they chose not to tell the truth, and would then be the same witnesses in the trial against the juvenile, we could not charge that case,” Foxx said.
The police union said cases like this one underscore the difficult and stressful situations officers face every day. “Better they get shot than we get shot,” Cantanzara said. “I have been to enough police funerals...how about you?”
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Their attorneys say both Liakopoulos and Reynoso will apply to have their police powers restored.
