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CHICAGO (WGN) — Newly released video shows a 13-year-old boy apparently raising his hands in the air a moment before being shot by a Chicago Police Department officer.
The boy, identified as “A.G.,” was shot in the back around 10:15 p.m. on May 18, leaving him paralyzed.
The 13-year-old’s family has since filed a federal lawsuit against the officer and the Chicago Police Department. They say the teen may never walk again.
“While A.G. survived the shooting, he has been permanently and catastrophically injured and remains hospitalized,” the suit states, according to NewsNation local affiliate WGN. “CPD’s shooting was wholly unjustified as A.G. was running away from the shooting, he was unarmed, and he posed no threat of harm to the officer who shot him or anyone in the vicinity.”
Surveillance video from a gas station obtained by WGN shows the moment the 13-year-old was shot.
The video shows police running after the teen. When he turns around, appearing to have his hands up, he is shot by an officer.
“Let’s be clear,” said Andrew Stroth, an attorney for the boy’s family. “What the video shows is an unarmed Black boy, running away from the police, puts his hands up, obeying what he heard from the officers, and without cause or provocations is shot.”
Police said the 7th grader took off running after he got out of a stolen vehicle. In part of the video, officers are seen moving the teen away from the gas pumps.
CPD said they moved A.G. because they were concerned the gas pumps might be combustible based on the shots fired in their direction.
Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability is investigating the shooting.
The officer who shot the teen has been assigned to desk duty pending the outcome of COPA’s investigation. His attorney, Timothy Grace, issued a statement saying the officer believed the boy was armed with a gun. However, investigators said they never found a gun at the scene.
“Police officers are required to make split-second decisions and the law not only understands that but allows for it,” Grace said. “Illinois law tells us that we are not supposed to look at these situations with 20/20 hindsight, but rather we should judge the actions of a law enforcement officer from the perspective of a reasonable officer.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
