The Independent Police Review Authority, the Chicago agency responsible for investigating allegations of police misconduct, has recommended an officer be fired for shooting someone, marking the first time the agency has made such a recommendation.
The agency found that an off-duty officer who allegedly fired 16 shots at the wrong vehicle after a drive-by shooting in 2011 was “inattentive to duty,” the Chicago Tribune reported.
The decision comes after video footage from a surveillance camera outside a Mexican restaurant in the East Ukrainian Village neighborhood showed a red Mitsubishi Galant fleeing the scene of a drive-by shooting. The officer, however, is reportedly seen opening fire at a blue Chrysler 300M vehicle, striking the driver.
The officer was also recorded giving a description of the vehicle, and reportedly said it was a “Blue Chrysler.”
The Tribune reports the officer maintained that he fired at the red vehicle, which promted the IPRA to recommend he be fired for making false statements to investigators.
The recommendation was made in April, but internal IPRA records were obtained by the Tribune Monday, identifying the officer as Francisco Perez.
The recommendation was first reported by the Chicago Reader.
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The IPRA’s decision will now go to Superintendent Garry McCarthy and could result in a hearing from the Chicago Police Board to determine if Perez will be fired.
The Tribune reports that the IPRA has recommended an officer be fired for a shooting only one other time, but that case involved the officer accidentally shooting himself.
