Charges against Chicago officers a rarity, but data shows more cases in recent years nationally
CHICAGO (CBS) – Two Chicago police officers were charged with allegedly shooting an unarmed man in Pilsen.
Police Sgt. Christopher Liakopoulos, 43, and Officer Ruben Reynoso, 42, each face charges of aggravated battery with a firearm, aggravated discharge of a firearm, and official misconduct. They could face a maximum of 30 years in prison.
It's uncommon for officers to face felony charges for actions taken while on-duty. CBS 2 investigator Megan Hickey looked into similar cases to get an idea of what might happen next.
While these types of criminal charges are rare, data from across the country show they are becoming more common.
More often than not, it's the decision not to charge a police officer that makes the headlines.
But on Friday, Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx emphasized that the charges against Liakopoulos and Reynoso are not the first of their kind.
"Under this administration, this is not the first time that we have filed these charges," Foxx said.
Just last year, 32-year-old Officer Melvina Bogard was charged with aggravated battery and official misconduct in the shooting of an unarmed man at the Grand stop on the CTA Red Line in 2020.
And in 2017, an Amtrak police officer named LaRoyce Tankson was charged with first-degree murder for fatally shooting a 25-year-old Minnesota man near Union Station.
Prosecutors said Tankson shot the victim as he was running away.
While these types of charges against police officers are rare, a Bowling Green State University national database shows that in 2021, 21 police officers were charged with murder of manslaughter resulting from an on-duty shooting. That's the highest number in a single year.
CBS 2 legal analyst Irv Miller said the cases of Liakopoulos and Reynoso, like many others, will likely hinge on the video evidence.
"The judge and the jury are going to have to decipher this," Miller said. "Not whether or not it happened. It did happen, but whether or not these officers fired in a situation where they were justified to fire and not just violating Illinois law."
Bogard's case is still going. She pleaded not guilty and has a hearing set for Sept. 19.
Tankson was found not guilty by a Cook County judge in 2020.
Bogard and Tankson were relieved of their police powers, just as the two officers charged on Friday were relieved of their police powers.