A 22-year-old man, who was riddled with bullets by a Chicago police officer, shouted “Why are you killing me?” According to body cam footage released on Wednesday, during the fatal encounter.
Anthony Alvarez was shot by a police officer for allegedly being linked to a previous crime after a foot chase. Authorities said Alvarez appeared to be carrying firearms.
Lawyers for Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Alvarez’s family urged him to come forward to keep out footage of the city’s civilian office accountability.
One of the clips of an officer’s body shows police chasing Alvarez in the early hours of March 31.
As Alvarez appears on the front lawn of a house, the policemen shout “Drop the gun! Throw the gun!” Before firing at least five times.
“Why are you shooting me?” Alvarez asked that he was writing in pain on the ground.
The officer replied: “You had a gun.”
“I’m gonna die,” Alvarez can be heard saying that he struggles to look at his cellphone.
The officer then proceeded to treat his wounds, one of which told Alvarez “Stop! I’m trying to help you “and” stay with me mate. ”
Blood quickly soaks through Alvarez’s clothes and falls to the ground.
The soldier can be heard telling other officers that Alvarez was armed and pointed a gun at the ground, “Do not touch it.”
Alvarez’s family, who watched the footage on Tuesday, said they are still waiting for the department to say what their loved one did to justify chasing a leg that carried a gun with them.
“I can’t believe he’s gone. I just want some answers; why did they do that to Anthony?” Alvarez’s father, Oscar Martinez, said in a statement released on Wednesday.
During a news conference before the video was released, Lightfoot referred to a traffic offense.
“We can’t live in a world where someone is shot and killed in a minor traffic crime,” Lightwoot said of Alvarez, who leaves his 2-year-old daughter behind.
“It is not acceptable to me and it should not be acceptable to anyone.”
The chief of the police union, John Katzenara, said the chase took place before an incident in which Alvarez ran from police in a vehicle.
The police involved saw Alvarez the next day and followed him on foot.
“There is nothing wrong with this shooting, because the bullet hit the culprit from behind,” Katznara said.
“It is important for the public to see it with an open mind.” He said the officer noticed that Alvarez was holding a gun and was believed to be walking around to shoot at him. “The officer is afraid (he) turns and fires because this is the speed he was making,” Katzenara said.
After watching the video, family lawyer Todd Pugh said, “I know what I saw … I saw a Chicago police officer shoot his son because he was running away from them.”
Authorities did not publicly identify the policeman who shot Alvarez, but a police report named him as 29-year-old Ivan Solano, a six-year-old veteran of the force.
The incident occurred two days ago when another Chicago police shot and killed 13-year-old Adam Toledo during a leg chase.
COPA, the city’s independent police review board, recommends that Solano be removed from his police powers until its investigation ends.
However, in the shooting of Toledo, the officer was paid on administrative leave, as happens regularly after police firing.
Following the shootout, Lightfoot announced that police would implement a foot search policy for officers.
The US Department of Justice recommended such a policy for the Chicago police four years ago, criticizing the Windy City’s policing practices.
But the department did not make such a policy thereafter.
“We look forward to a fair, balanced investigation by COPA and make the change that Mayor Lightfoot has promised us all,” Pugh said.
With post wires
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