(WTTW News)
It’s “unclear” if the man killed by Chicago police officers in an Irving Park neighborhood shooting early Wednesday fired any shots at officers, according to the agency tasked with investigating allegations of police misconduct.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability on Thursday said it is “unclear, nor has it been determined” by the office whether the man discharged his firearm at two officers before being fatally shot by police.
“Our investigation is ongoing, investigators will continue to canvass the area and are attempting to identify and obtain additional video, as well as identify witnesses from the night of the incident,” COPA First Deputy Chief Administrator Ephraim Eaddy said in a statement. “We are committed to a full and thorough investigation to determine the facts related to this incident and if the actions of the involved officers are in accordance with Department training and policy.”
Police Superintendent David Brown said during a press conference Wednesday that there had been “an apparent exchange of gunfire” between the man and two officers.
“From what we know now based on looking at the body-worn camera (video), the offender fired his weapon and the officers fired their weapons,” Brown said at the time.
A CPD statement published Wednesday didn’t specifically indicate the man fired his weapon, stating instead: “As officers pursued, the offender produced a firearm. Officers then discharged their weapons, striking the offender.”
The name of the man killed has not yet been released, but Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office records show he died of multiple gunshot wounds.
According to police, the shooting occurred just after 3 a.m. in the 3700 block of North Troy Street.
Brown said officers received a report of a man with a gun in a nearby block on Kedzie Avenue after a security guard at a bar heard arguing outside and saw a man point a firearm at people.
Responding officers located a man matching that person’s description fleeing toward an alley on Troy Street, according to Brown, where the shooting occurred.
Brown said he believed both officers fired shots at the man. Neither was injured and each has since been placed on routine administrative duties for at least 30 days.
COPA said it confirmed a firearm was recovered at the scene and body-worn cameras from the officers captured both the initial interaction and the shooting.
Contact Matt Masterson: @ByMattMasterson | [email protected] | (773) 509-5431
