Police Officers Shoot Man In Englewood
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago police officers shot a man who allegedly pointed a gun at them early Wednesday in the Englewood neighborhood, although some residents said police shot an unarmed man during a memorial for a friend who died in a crash three years ago.
Tensions were running high in the 5600 block of South Morgan Street, after a 23-year-old man was shot by police around 1:40 a.m. Bystanders said the man was holding nothing more than a cup, and that he was no threat to police.
Chanting "no justice, no peace," and frequently yelling at police, witnesses claimed it was an incident of police bullying, but the Chicago Police Department told a much different story.
Police said a crowd turned unruly as residents gathered to remember Mark Anthony Durham, a friend who died in a car crash three years ago.
Deputy Chief Carlos Velez said two officers on patrol in their squad car saw a man separating himself from the crowd, and reaching toward his waistband. Officers told him to stop as he was running way, but he turned and pointed a gun at them, and the officers shot him.
The man was taken to John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, where his condition stabilized.
Residents said there was nothing unruly about what they were doing, and the man was only holding a cup, but police said a gun was recovered at the scene.
"We can get together and have a peaceful gathering without the police have to jump out and shoot the man, a cup in his hand. Now, all of a sudden, it turned into a gun," Levondale Glass said. "They shot the man, because he was running with a cup in his hand. Now y'all wanna lock him up, and say he had a gun. Ain't no justice in that. And then they wonder why everybody clam up."
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Immediately after the shooting, the crowd gathered in a prayer circle, asking for justice and peace.
"Every community member out here will tell you that there was a peaceful celebration; there was no gun pulled on the police officers at any time," Jedediah Brown said.
"There was a peaceful gathering of individuals that were racially profiled and harassed by Chicago police officers who don't know how to police the community," he added. "These are not the troublemakers. These are not your gang members, rabble rousers. These are grown men that were out with the community, having a good time."
Kareen Noble, who said he is a friend of the man who was shot, said he looked up when he heard the gunshots, and saw his friend shot.
"I did see him running, and I did see the police – two police officers – shooting at him, and they were about 15 to 20 feet away from him. He didn't have a gun on him. I didn't see a gun on him. I didn't see a gun in his hand. I saw him running, and they were like 15 to 20 feet away. They didn't have to shoot at him at all. He wasn't a threat to their life, or their safety at that particular time," he said.
Noble said people in the crowd "had some words with the police" after the shooting.
"They saw a crowd, and, you know, a crowd of black people, apparently we've got to be up to no good," he said.
Police were not elaborating on the man's injuries, but said he was being questioned Wednesday morning.
