Crime & Safety
Off-Duty Chicago Cop Who Shot Teen Stripped Of Police Powers
The sergeant, who is accused of wounding an 18-year-old man in the arm Sunday, will stay on desk duty indefinitely during the investigation.
CHICAGO, IL — An off-duty Chicago police sergeant who shot a teen in the arm this past weekend was stripped of his police powers Monday while the shooting is investigated by the Independent Police Review Authority, the Chicago Tribune reports. The sergeant — who is accused of wounding a mentally disabled 18-year-old man who had been reported missing hours earlier Sunday on the Far South Side — will be on paid administrative duty with the department during the investigation, the report added.
The off-duty shooting happened at around 6 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 13, in the 10900 block of South Hermosa Avenue in the Morgan Park neighborhood. According to police, the off-duty sergeant, who was in his personal vehicle at the time, noticed the teen behaving suspiciously and approached him for questioning.
The teen became "elusive and unresponsive" as the sergeant questioned him, and "the encounter escalated," police said. That's when the officer fired his service weapon, hitting the teen in the arm, according to police. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for the South Side and Chicago — or other neighborhoods. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)
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RELATED: Off-Duty Chicago Cop Shoots Teen In Arm
Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told the Tribune that the teen is autistic and schizophrenic. His foster mother had reported him missing at around 2 a.m. Sunday, Guglielmi said. The teen was taken to an area hospital, where he was treated for his injuries and released, police said Sunday.
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So far, no weapon belonging to the teen has been recovered from the scene, and Supt. Eddie Johnson said there are still many unanswered questions in the case during a press conference Sunday afternoon.
The sergeant will be relieved of his police powers indefinitely pending the findings of the investigation by the IPRA, which recommended this measure to Johnson, according to the Tribune. Normally, officers involved in shootings are placed on administrative duties for 30 days. Police officials would not explain why the sergeant was placed on desk duty indefinitely, the Tribune reports.
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