Video shows Chicago cop shooting unarmed teen with developmental disabilities
CHICAGO -- Newly released video shows an off-duty Chicago police sergeant shooting an unarmed teenager who is developmentally disabled.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability released the video Tuesday night.
Sergeant Khalil Muhammad said he believed he was in danger and that the teenager was armed, but a weapon was never recovered.
A home surveillance camera captured the violent encounter in front of a home near 111th Street and Hermosa Avenue on August 13, 2017. Then-18-year-old Ricardo Hayes had been running and skipping in the neighborhood and then stopped in front of the home.
The video shows Muhammad pulling up in his personal pickup truck. Seconds went by, then Hayes can be seen slowly moving toward Muhammad. The sergeant fired shots, wounding Hayes in the chest and arm.
Muhammad called 911. In the background of the call, Hayes can be heard screaming.
"I'm behind Morgan Park High School," Muhammad says on the 911 call recording. "I'm a (inaudible) sergeant of police. I need an ambulance right now."
"What happened?" the operator asks.
"The guy pulled like he was about to pull a gun on me, walked up to the car, and I had to shoot," Muhammad answers.
Hayes survived the shooting and has now filed a lawsuit. Hayes' attorney, Gabriel Hardy, said his client has developmental disabilities and problems communicating.
"Ricky wasn't doing anything wrong," Hardy said. "He wasn't breaking any laws. He wasn't armed. He didn't initiate contact with this officer."
He said the shooting was not justified.
The Illinois ACLU is also calling for more officer training on how to deal with people with disabilities.
Muhammad has been on paid administrative leave since the incident.
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