Leaked CPD Video Shows Fatal Shooting Of Brittany Hill While She Was Holding Her 1-Year-Old Daughter
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Brittany Hill was killed Tuesday, but Chicago Police Department footage leaked on social media shows the shooting for the first time.
The video is from a city camera in the area of Division and Mason. CBS 2 has decided to only show a small portion of the video because of its sensitive nature. It has been confirmed as authentic.
The footage shows several people standing in the area, including 24-year-old Hill who was holding her 1-year-old daughter in her arms.
A car pulls up and opens fire, striking Hill, who eventually died from her injuries. She can been seen in the video running to take cover behind a parked car, and slumping over while still clutching her child.
The Chicago Police Department is investigating how the video ended up on social media.
"We have notified the state's attorney's office and opened an investigation to determine who electronically accessed the video and whether anything was released or compromised," a department spokesperson stated.
We are taking this video release very seriously & working to establish its origin as this family deserves better. 2 men were arrested by CPD last week & this case is now before a criminal court. We have conferred with @CookCountySAO & opened an investigation. Full statement below https://t.co/yDHSgip1pS pic.twitter.com/KdigGBpI2a
— Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) June 3, 2019
CBS 2 legal analyst Irv Miller said the footage should not have been leaked and that the thousands of views the video has generated could complicate the prosecution of this case.
"This is a major misstep by somebody in law enforcement," he said. "It has to come from the Chicago Police Department or someone at the states's attorney's office. They're the only ones who'd have access at this limited period of time."
He also discussed what this means for prosecuting the two men who have been accused of the murder.
"By having this leaked, to have the public see it now could result in problems later on in the trial because jurors, and we're all potential jurors, can't be exposed to things like this prior to the trial," Miller said.
The leaked video could make it difficult to find an unbiased jury, and force the trial to be relocated.
Police have now charged 39-year-old Michael Washington and 23-year-old Eric Adams in connection with Hill's death.
Miller says, in addition to the possible fallout for the murder case, it is possible that the person responsible for leaking the video could face felony charges of official misconduct.
Hill's family said they are aware of the video's release but wouldn't comment further.
