In Wake Of 'Events Across The Country,' Chicago Police Deploy Additional Resources And Cancel Days Off For Some Units; Some Stores Board Up
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago Police on Monday evening said they are deploying additional resources to the downtown area and business corridors, and canceling days off for several units.
Chicago Police said they are "closely monitoring events across the country." They said while there was no "actionable intelligence" about any possible unrest Monday night, they will be deploying additional resources across communities citywide, neighborhood retail corridors, and the downtown business district.
Days off have also been canceled for the Community Safety Team, the Critical Incident Response Team, the Summer Mobile Patrol, all area detectives, and additional specialized teams.
In a memo to officers, Supt. David Brown said the units will be deployed beginning on Third Watch at 7 p.m. Tuesday to supplement district personnel and resources.
Salt trucks are also parked and ready near Chicago Public Safety Headquarters. They were also at the ready to protect a Walmart in the Pullman neighborhood.
Their purpose is to block traffic and protesters if needed – all in preparation for tensions rising across the country.
This all comes after Daunte Wright, 20, was shot and killed by police in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota outside Minneapolis Sunday night.
Body camera video shows police approaching Wright's vehicle and asking him to step out of the car. They attempt to handcuff him before he pulls away and gets back into his driver's seat.
The officer whose body camera footage was shown pulls out a gun while shouting "Taser."
After firing the gun, the officer says, "Holy s**t, I just shot him."
"As I watched the video and listen to the officer's commands, it is my belief that the officer had the intention to deploy their Taser but instead shot Mr. Wright with a single bullet," Brooklyn Center Police Chief Tim Gannon said. "This appears to me from what I viewed and the officer's reaction in distress immediately after that this was an accidental discharge that resulted in the tragic death of Mr. Wright."
"When tensions escalate and adrenaline gets flowing, again, it's very obvious her brain selected the right weapon, but unfortunately, her hand chose the wrong weapon," said John Jay College of Criminal Justice Assistant Professor Christopher Herrmann.
Herrmann, a former member of the NYPD, said weapon confusion cases are rare but do happen.
In Tulsa, Oklahoma a white volunteer sheriff's deputy fired his handgun when he says he meant to deploy his stun gun on an unarmed Black man, Eric Harris, who ran from police during a gun sting operation in 2015. The former deputy served less than half of his four-year sentence.
"There's no way an officer can get this confused for this," said Harris family attorney Dan Smolen.
The Twin Cities and surrounding areas were placed under a 7 p.m. curfew Monday evening in the wake of unrest following the Wright shooting.
Following Wright's death Sunday, the Minnesota National Guard was activated. In the early morning hours, state law enforcement leaders said they activated everyone they can to stand guard around the Twin Cities area.
This was originally the plan for when closing arguments and jury deliberation in the Derek Chauvin trial began. But as the looting and unrest spilled into Minneapolis, officials decided the extra enforcement was needed now, not later.
Meanwhile back in Chicago, CBS 2's Brad Edwards spotted the Nordstrom Rack store at Chicago Avenue and Rush Street being boarded up Monday evening.
This also comes after a group of men smashed their way into the Nordstrom store on the Magnificent Mile and stole items overnight.
Kendrick Adams, 27, of the Ashburn neighborhood, was charged with one felony count of burglary in that incident. Late Monday, police issued a photo showing surveillance images of seven others wanted in the burglary.
It was not clear if the Nordstrom Rack board-up was in response to the burglary at the Mag Mile Nordstrom, concerns about possible civil unrest to come, or both.
Also Monday night, CBS 2's Charlie De Mar reported salt trucks were also seen near downtown bridges. They were not blocking the bridges Monday night, but they were at the ready if need be.
Right across from Trump Tower, Chicago Police squad cars have also been parked with their lights flashing for some time.
