2 Chicago police officers fired for shooting at stolen car
CHICAGO (AP) - Two Chicago police officers who fired on a stolen car in 2016 during a chase that ended with the fatal shooting of the unarmed driver were fired, it was announced Thursday.
The Chicago Police Board found in an 8-0 decision that Officers Michael Coughlin Jr. and Jose Torres violated Chicago Police Department rules for shooting at the car driven by 18-year-old Paul O'Neal. The officers can appeal their firings in Cook County Circuit Court.
The Independent Police Review Authority, which no longer exists, recommended in 2017 that Coughlin and Torres be fired. It determined the officers risked the lives of fellow officers and bystanders by firing on the stolen Jaguar. It also didn't find credible Coughlin's and Torres' assertion they fired because they believed fellow officers were in danger.
Then Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson in 2018 agreed with the review authority's recommendation and the department asked the police board to make a final decision.
The incident involving O'Neal began when police spotted the Jaguar, reported stolen in suburban Chicago, in the city's South Shore neighborhood. As the vehicle driven by O'Neal fled from police, it struck two police SUVs. After O'Neal ditched the car, he fled through several back yards and was shot to death by Officer Jose Diaz. There is no video of the shooting.
As O'Neal lay on the ground face down, Diaz was captured on a body camera video kicking him. When asked by the review authority why he kicked the the teen, Diaz answered, ``Anger, rage, frustration,'ť according to agency records. Though IPRA concluded Diaz ``genuinely believed'ť O'Neal had a gun, it recommended a six-month suspension for kicking the teen and yelling profanities at him. Diaz is fighting the suspension.
O'Neal's shooting, which sparked protests, occurred as Chicago's police practices were being investigated by the U.S. Justice Department in the wake of the 2014 fatal shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald by white police officer Jason Van Dyke. Van Dyke was eventually convicted of second-degree murder and is serving a six-year prison term.