Chicago police officer, sergeant charged with capturing unarmed man in Pilsen in July

CHICAGO (CBS) — A Chicago police officer and sergeant are every dealing with felony fees after Prepare dinner County prosecutors say they shot an unarmed man in July in Pilsen.

Chicago Police have beforehand described the July 22 incident at 18th and Morgan streets as a shootout, however Prepare dinner County State’s Lawyer Kim Foxx on Friday mentioned the 2 officers being charged had been the primary to open hearth, and had no justification for opening hearth on the 23-year-old man who was shot.

This case was flipped the wrong way up by surveillance video. 

Chicago Police Sgt. Christopher Liakopoulos, 43, and Officer Ruben Reynoso, 42, every face fees of aggravated battery with a firearm, aggravated discharge of a firearm, and official misconduct. 

Their bail was set at $25,000 every, which means they needed to $2,500 to be launched from custody. Each Liakopoulos and Reynoso bonded out of jail Friday night.

They’ve each even have been ordered to give up their firearms and Firearm Homeowners Identification Playing cards.

Each officers are assigned to the Main Accident Investigation Unit, and have been relieved of their police powers. They turned themselves in Thursday evening. Foxx mentioned they resist 30 years in jail if convicted.

Police have mentioned, shortly earlier than 7 a.m. on July 22, two officers with the Main Accident Investigation Unit had been driving to the police academy for coaching, once they noticed a gaggle of 4 individuals sporting masks and loitering exterior a closed retailer close to 18th and Morgan streets.

Police have mentioned, when one of many officers recognized himself as legislation enforcement, one particular person within the group pulled out a gun and began capturing, prompting the officers to shoot again.

“They had been masked up, clearly armed, and as soon as our officer recognized himself as a police officer, they started pulling a gun and capturing at our officers, making an attempt to kill them,” Police Supt. David Brown mentioned on the time.

After the preliminary change of gunfire, the officers acquired out of their automobile, and the shooter ran off, persevering with to fireside on the officers, police have mentioned.  

Nonetheless, Foxx mentioned a evaluation of proof within the case contradicted the officers’ claims, and reveals that Liakopoulos and Reynoso fired first.

“The officers concerned on this incident didn’t have provocation or justification to shoot the unarmed sufferer throughout this incident. The proof doesn’t assist using lethal drive associated to the capturing of the unarmed sufferer, and was not lawful,” Foxx mentioned. “We can not ignore or stand by acts of unprovoked violence, even by the hands of those that are sworn to serve and defend our communities.”

On the officers’ bond listening to Friday afternoon, Assistant State’s Lawyer Alyssa Janicki mentioned, after Liakopoulos and Reynoso stopped to query a gaggle of males they noticed exterior some closed companies close to 18th and Morgan to ask them what they had been doing there, a 23-year-old man and a juvenile began strolling towards the passenger facet of the officers’ unmarked squad automobile.

Whereas the juvenile was sporting a satchel on his chest that had a gun, the 23-year-old man was unarmed; holding a mobile phone and wine bottle in a single hand, along with his different hand empty, based on Janicki.

After approaching the officers’ automobile, the juvenile turned and ran away, whereas the 23-year-old man confirmed officers each of his fingers. Janicki mentioned that is when each Reynoso and Liakopoulos pointed their weapons out the passenger’s facet window and began capturing.

The 23-year-old man was shot within the again and leg, and fell to the bottom, based on Janicki. The juvenile stored working east on 18th Avenue, earlier than firing a number of pictures on the officers, who fired a number of extra pictures.

A pedestrian who was strolling behind the juvenile on the time suffered a graze wound, based on Janicki. Neither the juvenile nor the officers had been wounded.

Prosecutors mentioned the 23-year-old man who was shot was unarmed and by no means fired any pictures at police.

“The sufferer, who was shot and injured on this incident, was not in possession of a weapon, nor did the sufferer hearth a weapon at these two officers,” Foxx mentioned.

That 23-year-old man, Miguel Medina, has filed a federal lawsuit in opposition to the town and Liakopoulos.

“The officers concerned on this incident, didn’t have provocation or justification to shoot the unarmed sufferer on this incident,” Foxx mentioned.

Throughout an interview with detectives on the day of the capturing, the officers instructed detectives they opened hearth solely after the juvenile shot at them, based on Janicki. The subsequent day, in an interview with each prosecutors and detectives, they mentioned they did not know who shot first, however mentioned the juvenile pointed a gun at them earlier than any pictures had been fired.

A number of days later, video proof obtained through the investigation contradicted the officers’ accounts, displaying 23-year-old man was standing on the street close to the open passenger’s facet window of the automobile, with each fingers seen, and the juvenile was working away from the automobile when the officers began capturing.

Protection attorneys disputed prosecutors’ account of the capturing, saying the 23-year-old man gestured at officers along with his hand as each he and the juvenile had been strolling towards the automobile, and claiming it is unclear from the surveillance video who fired first.

“It isn’t clear who fired first … but it surely would not matter if he is pointing the gun at him,” mentioned Reynoso’s protection legal professional Brian Sexton.

Sexton additionally accused prosecutors of shifting too shortly to file fees earlier than the Civilian Workplace of Police Accountability has even accomplished a evaluation of the case.

“The state has jumped the shark,” Sexton mentioned.

The officers concerned didn’t have physique cameras, based on Foxx. The video proof within the case got here from surveillance cameras close to the scene.

Sexton mentioned he needs a protecting order in cease COPA from releasing that video so a jury pool is not tainted.     

Foxx mentioned an investigation stays open in regard to the juvenile, who has not been charged.

The Civilian Workplace of Police Accountability is also investigating the officers’ use of drive, however has but to announce any findings.

Liakopoulos has been a Chicago Police officer for 21 years. Throughout that point, he is had 10 complaints filed in opposition to him, however none was substantiated – and he has by no means been disciplined.

Reynoso has been on the drive for 19 years. He has had 4 complaints filed in opposition to him, and like his associate, none had been substantiated.

The video on the coronary heart of this case is anticipated to be launched by COPA early subsequent week.