Police Chief Questions Fatal Shooting In Which Police Shot A Man In The Back

By Stephen Gossett in News on Aug 1, 2016 3:47PM

Superintendant Eddie Johnson, April 13, 2016 / Getty Images / Photo: Scott Olson

Supt. Eddie Johnson said on Sunday that “departmental policies may have been violated” during a fatal police shooting that occurred on Thursday night.

Johnson told media at police headquarters that he had spent parts of Friday and Saturday reviewing the incident, in which Paul O’Neal, 18, was fatally wounded. O’Neal died from a gunshot wound to the back, an autopsy performed by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office concluded. "After this review, I am left with more questions than answers," Johnson said, according to NBC5. "As it appears right now, departmental policies may have been violated during the incident."

Two officers were placed on administrative leave following the incident, Chicago police told Chicagoist on Friday. A third officer was relieved of police powers on Saturday following the autopsy.

The Independent Police Review Authority is conducting an investigation of the shooting.

The Chicago Police Department sent a statement to Chicagoist stating that the officers have been stripped of their police powers in the meantime:

"While the events are under formal investigation by IPRA, all officers involved have been relieved of police powers and removed from operational duties. Johnson has pledged that CPD will conduct a thorough and fact based administrative review of the incident. He also stressed that the Department will be transparent and open with the community on findings once IPRA completes its review."

Paul O’Neal was fatally shot on Thursday, at around 7:30 pm, near East 74th Street and South Merrill Avenue, in South Shore. Police tried to curb the vehicle driven by O’Neal—a Jaguar that matched the description of a stolen car from Bolingbrook, police said. O’Neal then rammed a police vehicle and sideswiped a parked car, CPD Communications Director Anthony Guglielmi said on Sunday. (Initial police reports said the parked car and police car were sideswiped.) According to the police narrative, three officers then fired: two shots were fired into the Jaguar, and a third officer shot O’Neal in the back after leaving the car and attempting to flee.