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Footage of the chaotic scene revealed that an off-duty Chicago police officer informed a possible robber she would kill him, and then followed through on her threat by firing three times at the man.
According to investigators, the officer delivered the warning on January 17 after the suspect appeared to grasp her gun shortly after she broke up a brawl between four persons, including the alleged thief.
According to Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability, while the two grappled and fell to the ground, the handgun discharged, striking 39-year-old Leevon Smith (COPA).
Before the gunshots rang out, she said to Smith, “I’ll kill you.”
According to audio and footage of the incident given by the accountability office, Smith shouts “you got me, you got me” after the initial two rounds are fired.
After she fired the third and last shot, the off-duty police stated, “I told your stupid— I’d kill you.”
Moments afterwards, a hurt Smith said, “Damn baby, I’m sorry.” “I don’t want to die.”
The officer then called for someone to contact the police while she proceeded to reprimand Smith for attempting to remove her pistol, as evidenced by the video.
“You thought I was joking when I threatened to shoot you,” the officer stated.
“I warned you I would shoot you,” the unidentified officer added. You attempted to steal my pistol.
COPA stated that the video and audio are not synchronized.
CBS Chicago stated that Smith was transported to the hospital, where he died two days later. According to police, the officer was placed on normal administrative duty for 30 days in January.
According to a tactical report, Chicago police found that the suspect attempted to seize the off-duty officer’s firearm and posed an imminent threat to her. According to the police arrest report, the officer suffered a cut above her right eye.
The officer was one of several individuals who called 911 after the incident to report that she had been robbed and shot a man.
“Oh my god, he just attempted to rob me,” the frightened officer exclaimed over the phone.
She reported that she attempted to contact her superiors, but no one answered her calls.
“He just attempted to steal my off-duty firearm,” she told the first responders.
The officer joined the force in June of last year, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
She has not been charged in the shooting, but Smith’s family has filed a $10 million lawsuit against the city and police over the fatal incident, a newspaper claimed.
According to the police record, Smith was charged with attempted robbery and aggravated violence by prosecutors before his death.
»Off-duty Chicago police officer warns alleged robber she will “kill” him prior to fatal shooting«