#PaulONeal Riot, Pictures: Twitter Reacts To 9 Police Shooting Videos — But No Video Of Cops Shooting O’Neal [Video]
Paul O’Neal was an 18-year-old who can be seen in the below videos — some of which are graphic — that have been released by the Independent Police Review Authority website. O’Neal was shot by Chicago police officers, after Paul reportedly stole a Jaguar and raced past Chicago police in the stolen car before ramming a police car and attempting to flee.
As a result, #PaulONeal is being reported as a trending Twitter topic, with people using the #PaulONeal hashtag to express their reactions to the shooting. Some of those using the #PaulONeal hashtag note how some Chicago officers seen in the video give each other handshakes instead of tending to the dying Paul. Also trending are terms like #pauloneal riot, #pauloneal unarmed and #pauloneal pictures.
https://twitter.com/WesleyLowery/status/761663576528527360
The series of videos show the events that occurred on July 28, according to body-cam video No. 1, which begins at 7:17 p.m. An officer can be heard asking where the suspect is located and is seen driving swiftly around Chicago streets to find him. However, it’s the next video, No. 2, which shows police shooting as O’Neal races past a police car, with Paul appearing to ram the police car as one Chicago officer unloads rounds of gun fire after the car.
Photos of Paul can be seen on Heavy.
Warning: The below video and photo showing Paul bleeding on the ground after being shot by Chicago police is graphic and might be disturbing to some viewers.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the fact that the videos of Chicago police shooting after O’Neal in the stolen car were released so soon after the event happened is not characteristic of the usual pace of shooting videos from Chicago authorities.
The publication reports that Paul’s family was so upset at viewing the disturbing and shocking footage on Friday of the 18-year-old’s death that they did not make any comment on the now-viral videos.
The #PaulONeal hashtag is drawing a difference of opinion from people in the wake of watching the series of videos that show cops shooting after O’Neal, first in stolen Jaguar. According to the Chicago Tribune, the city doesn’t allow police officers to shoot after a moving vehicle if the vehicle only threatens police — and not everyday citizens.
The first video, as seen below, shows the stolen car ramming and crashing into police vehicles as it tries to escape.
The #PaulONeal hashtag features folks reacting to the 15 or more shots that were fired at Paul — and the long length of time it appeared before O’Neal received any medical attention.
The audio of the videos display several times that the police officers are asked if an officer was shot, or if “just” the suspect was wounded.
There seems to be initial confusion displayed in the videos over whether one officer was shot. The Chicago officer removes his vest to try and determine if he was shot. However, he ascertains that he might have simply been hurt from O’Neal ramming the police car.
https://twitter.com/ShaunKing/status/761660033897725952
With so many videos showing the events leading up to the shooting, the actual shooting, whereby Paul O’Neal sustained at least one fatal gunshot wound to the back, wasn’t shown on video.
The videos show the aftermath of the shooting, with blood on O’Neal’s back as his backpack was lifted by one of the police officers.
The officers are also seen in the video asking if O’Neal shot at them.
One of the police officers can be heard complaining that he would be suspended for 30 days, or be placed behind a desk for 30 days.
As a result of the videos, the O’Neal Family is suing the Chicago Police Department.
The IPRA describes itself as a site that aims to bring transparency and accountability to the actions of the Chicago Police Department.
[Photo by Chicago Police Department/Independent Police Review Authority/AP Images]
