Paul O'Neal Shooting: No Charges For Chicago Cops In 2016 Case

CHICAGO, IL — No criminal charges will be filed against the three Chicago police officers accused in the controversial 2016 fatal shooting of 18-year-old Paul O'Neal, the Cook County state's attorney's office announced Friday. O'Neal was shot in the back several times after leading police on a chase in a stolen vehicle through the South Shore neighborhood. Footage from police body and dashboard video cameras later showed officers slapping and shaking each other's hands following the shooting.

The decision not to file charges against the three officers who fired shots came after "a thorough review of the evidence, including dashboard and body camera recordings, witness interviews, and physical evidence," according to a statement by the state's attorney's office. Although O'Neal did not have a weapon, the investigation determined that the officers "reasonably" feared for their safety when they opened fire.

"The review of the evidence indicated that two of the officers were placed in reasonable fear of death or great bodily harm when O’Neal drove a car towards them, and the third shooting officer reasonably believed that O’Neal had fired at the police, although in fact those shots were fired by fellow officers," the office's statement said. "Because the evidence at any trial would have established that each of the shooting officers had a reasonable belief in the justified use of deadly force, there was no basis to support a criminal charge against those officers."

The state's attorney's review of the case was turned over to the Office of the State Appellate Prosecutor, which agreed with the decision not press charges. The lack of a criminal prosecution, however, doesn't stop the Chicago Police Department from reprimanding the officers for violating regulations, the state's attorney's office said. Only days following the shooting, Supt. Eddie Johnson stripped the three officers of their police powers.

"Nothing in this review is intended to address issues related to whether the officers followed proper procedures or whether any officers should be subject to discipline," the office said. "Policy and discipline recommendations in officer involved shooting cases are solely within the purview of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability."

More Patch Coverage:

• Suspected Car Thief Shot And Killed By Chicago Police
  
• Paul O'Neal Shooting: Chicago Sees Another Controversial Police Video
  
• Officers Relieved Of Police Powers Following Shooting
  
• Shooting Protesters March On Michigan Avenue
  
• Paul O'Neal's Mother Broke Down While Watching Police Video: Activist

O'Neal was shot by police on July 28, 2016, in the 7400 block of South Merrill after officers tried to pull him over while he was driving a stolen 2002 Jaguar XKR convertible. The teen sped off, and he hit two police vehicles during the chase through South Shore neighborhood.

O'Neal tried to flee on foot, but he was shot in the back by police and then handcuffed as he lay dying. In police video following the shooting, officers can be seen and heard celebrating, and one officer suggests turning off the body camera another officer is wearing.

In the days following the shooting and the release of the police video, vigils were held in O'Neal's memory, and demonstrators protested the police shooting.

Read the full statement by the Cook County state's attorney's office on why it is not filing criminal charges in the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Paul O'Neal.

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