Chicago Police Investigate Off-Duty Officer's Fatal Shooting of Unarmed Man

An off-duty Chicago police officer is reportedly behind the fatal shooting Monday of an unarmed man with whom he had recently argued.

Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said he had "more questions than answers" just hours after the incident, which occurred around 9:15 a.m. in the 2500 block of North Lowell Avenue in the Belmont Gardens neighborhood, according to a Chicago Tribune report. The man was pronounced dead at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center.

Family members of the victim, 38-year-old Jose Nieves, told WGN reporters that the off-duty officer had gotten into an altercation with him. Angelica Nieves says that in the past, her brother had called 911 on the officer, who is assigned to transit detail. The two were reportedly neighbors.

"(Monday) morning, Jose Nieves was moving furniture into his apartment when his sister says the 57-year-old officer started harassing his girlfriend," said the WGN report. "When Nieves had words with him, his girlfriend says the off-duty transit officer shot Nieves three times, in the leg, the stomach and the back."

Several other reports reference a separate disagreement between the two men that allegedly occurred last week. Johnson and the Independent Police Review Authority are trying to determine why Monday's altercation took a deadly turn, ABC 7 reported, noting that the officer has been moved to desk duty for the duration of the investigation.

This is the second Chicago police-involved shooting in two days. The first occurred around 2:20 a.m. on Sunday in the 12000 block of South State Street. There, police were trying to arrest a man who reportedly ignored a stop sign and then drove onto a sidewalk.

"A fight broke out outside the car when officers tried to restrain him ..." the Chicago Tribune reported. "During the struggle, an officer discharged his service weapon twice, hitting the man."

The man was taken to the hospital and listed in critical condition. Three officers were also hospitalized.