IPRA Releases Video, 911 Audio Of 'Total Race War' Shooting In Mt. Greenwood

By Stephen Gossett in News on Jan 5, 2017 6:50PM

Chicago’s police oversight agency on Wednesday evening released new video and 911 audio of the events surrounding the fatal police shooting of Joshua Beal, 25, in Mt. Greenwood last November.

An off-duty officer shot and killed Beal, who was riding in a funeral procession on November 5. Accounts of the incident from the officer and family members differed: Police said Beal was blocking a fire lane when the off-duty officer approached him; and family said the officer tried to run Beal’s vehicle from the road. Police also say that Beal attempted to shoot his gun but it did not fire.

In the 911 audio, the officer says his car is surrounded at the Mt. Greenwood intersection."You need to send police to 111th and Troy right now before someone gets shot,” he said. “I am an off-duty police officer. I’m getting attacked by about 12 motherfuckers in the car,” he said.

The released tapes also include the panicked call to 911 made by Beal’s sister. “They just shot my brother,” she said. “They just shot my brother. … 111th and Troy. He’s right here. Josh! Josh! He got shot in his neck!” she said. “Get away from my brother! Do not touch him. Get away from my brother.” Police reports state that officers fired 18 times and Beal was struck eight times, according to CBS.

Another 911 caller describes the scene as “like a total race war.” “People are in the middle of the street, beating the shit out of each other,” the woman tellers emergency personnel.

One video appears to show a man attempting to administer CPR to Beal as he's sprawled on the ground after being shot.

The shooting set off waves of tense protests between supporters of the Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter movements, the tension spilled over into a controversy at nearby Marist High School, over which two students were expelled for their part in a racist text-message exchange.

Warning: Videos contain graphic imagery.