Chicago Cop Who Killed Unarmed Man While Off-Duty Has Been Stripped Of Police Powers

By Rachel Cromidas in News on Jan 4, 2017 4:07PM

Screenshot / ABC7

The 57-year-old officer, whose name has not been released, shot unarmed neighbor Jose Nieves, 38, multiple times, killing him. Nieves' sister, Angelica Nieves, has told reporters that the officer was a problem neighbor who pulled a weapon on Nieves in the past and prompted her to call 911 on him numerous times before. She said the officer was harassing Nieves's girlfriend while he was moving furniture Monday morning, and that he shot Nieves three times, once in the back.

The officer was stripped of his police powers by police chief Eddie Johnson "as part of the ongoing investigation," as police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told the Sun-Times. The department is investigating the shooting, which has been declared a homicide, in-tandem with the Independent Police Review Authority, which investigates incidents of police misconduct.

Court records found by the Sun-Times show Nieves has been arrested at least 20 times on various charges including domestic battery, theft, burglary and assault, but only has one criminal conviction—a 2012 conviction for marijuana possession and possession of a fake gun—for which he was sentenced to court supervision.

Nieves's death was the second shooting by Chicago police so far in 2017.