In an abrupt change, the city of Chicago has made public video footage that documents the shooting death of Cedrick Chatman at the hands of Chicago police, reports the Chicago Tribune.
The 17-year-old Chatman was shot and killed while running away from police. The officers claim he turned around and pointed a black object at them, an object which turned out to be a black iPhone box.
According to the Tribune:
Both sides agree that, unlike the now-infamous dash-cam video of the Laquan McDonald shooting, the surveillance videos in the Chatman case are low-quality and show only a distant view of the shooting.
However, lawyers for Chatman's family say the footage shows the teen was clearly running away from police and about to turn a corner when he was shot.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel's administration had argued for months that releasing the video could inflame the public and jeopardize a fair trial in the family's lawsuit. In a surprise court filing Wednesday, though, the city dropped its opposition, citing the ongoing work of Mayor Rahm Emanuel's Task Force on Police Accountability, which is expected to issue recommendations in March on the city's long-standing policy of keeping police shooting videos from the public.
Got something to say about what you're reading? We value your feedback!