Chicago Police Release Body Camera Footage Of Man Shot By Officers

According to CNN, Chicago police released the body camera footage of the man who was shot and killed by police officers on Saturday.

The body camera footage shows 37-year-old Harith Augustus being approached and grabbed by four police officers on Saturday. In the video, Augustus is seen pushing the officers away from him and flailing his arms. Afterward, he proceeds to roll over the hood of one of the cop cars and appears to reach for his waistband on the right side, where the officers present claim to have seen a gun. The video, however, does not have any audio and appears to have been edited.

During a news conference on Sunday, Superintendent of Police Eddie T. Johnson said, “Last night was a very difficult situation for everyone involved. On one hand, we had a loss of life, which no matter the circumstances is always tragic. On the other hand, this is a very difficult position for the police officers in our community.”

Chicago Police Chief of Patrol, Fred Waller, said that the four officers approached Augustus in the first place because they believed he had a gun on him.

“Police recovered a weapon at the scene, but the slain man did not fire his gun at officers,” Waller said.

While Waller claimed he did not think Augustus had a conceal carry permit, Johnson later confirmed that he did.

Superintendent Johnson said he released the body camera footage on Sunday because “the community needs answers and they need them now.” Johnson is referring to the protests held on Saturday night following the news of Augustus’ death. Protestors stood in the streets, chanting or throwing things at officers. One protestor even stomped on the hood of a cop car. Other protestors simply shouted at police, chanting, “Who do you protect? Who do you serve?”

According to Chicago Police spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi, by the end of the night, “At least four people were arrested and several officers injured.”

The officers involved in the shooting and murder of Harith Augustus will reportedly be placed on administrative duties for the period of a month, while the Civilian Office of Police Accountability conducts an investigation of the shooting.

The last time protests broke out in Chicago due to a police-involved shooting was back in 2015, when a dash-cam video revealed an officer shooting and killing Laquan McDonald, who was only 17 years old at the time.