A file photo shows a crime scene blocked off by the Chicago Police Department. (WTTW News)
Body camera footage of the fatal police shooting of a man in Irving Park last month appears to show he was attempting to get up off the ground and run away when he was killed.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability on Wednesday published body camera footage showing the fatal Feb. 8 shooting of 21-year-old Isidro Valverde.
Hours after the shooting, Police Superintendent David Brown there was an “apparent exchange of gunfire” between the man and police, but COPA later indicated it was “unclear” whether or not Valverde had fired any shots at police.
COPA officials now say Valverde may have fired a shot as he attempted to get up off the ground.
“As a part of COPA’s full and thorough investigation, we will consider the totality of the circumstances known to officers, their decision to engage in a foot pursuit, the discharge of the individual’s weapon as he began to get up and whether the officers’ use of deadly force was in accordance with Department policy and training,” COPA First Deputy Chief Administrator Ephraim Eaddy said in a statement Wednesday.
The shooting occurred just after 3 a.m. on Feb. 8 in the 3700 block of North Troy Street. No officers were wounded during the altercation, but Valverde was killed.
The materials COPA published include body worn camera videos from two officers involved in the shooting. In one, an officer chasing Valverde on foot repeatedly yells at him to “Get on the f---ing ground” and then to “Stay down” moments before gunfire erupts. Nine gunshots can be heard in this video, but it’s not clear who is firing what shot.
GRAPHIC VIDEO: Footage released Wednesday shows the fatal Feb. 8, 2023 shooting of Isidro Valverde.
Video from a second officer who was trailing the first officer on foot appears to show Valverde attempting to get up from the ground and continue running away before he is shot.
The audio in this second video does not begin until after the shooting occurred.
GRAPHIC VIDEO: Footage released Wednesday shows the fatal Feb. 8, 2023 shooting of Isidro Valverde.
The morning after the shooting, Brown said police initially responded to the area following 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, according to Brown, where he said the “apparent exchange of gunfire” occurred. Brown also indicated police recovered a firearm containing an extended magazine at the scene.
COPA said it is still seeking to obtain additional videos of the shooting. Anyone with information or video footage related to this incident is asked to contact the office at 312-746-3609 or ChicagoCOPA.org.
Contact Matt Masterson: @ByMattMasterson | [email protected] | (773) 509-5431
