CHICAGO — A man killed by Chicago police had a gun in a holster at his hip and was shot multiple times as he ran away, spun around and reached toward his waist, according to footage released Sunday from an officer’s body-worn camera.
Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said it’s the quickest he has ever ordered such video released and that he hoped to dispel rumors that Harith Augustus, 37, was unarmed. He also hoped that making the 30-second clip public before a planned protest would prevent another violent confrontation between residents and officers.
Protesters angry about the killing Saturday took to the streets in a city that’s struggled with police shootings, especially against black men and other minorities. Some threw rocks and bottles at officers – including ones filled with urine – and police pulled people to the ground and hit them with batons.
“The community needs some answers and they need them now,” Johnson told reporters Sunday. “We can’t have another night like last night.”
He said Augustus’ family was in favor of releasing the video for the same reason.
Four protesters were arrested in the clash, and some police officers suffered minor injuries. Two squad cars also were damaged.
The video, which lacks sound, shows four officers approaching Augustus outside a store on the city’s South Side. An officer points to Augustus’ waist and he backs away. Three officers try to grab his arms and he tries to get away, backing into a police cruiser as his shirt flies up and shows the gun.
The footage pauses and zooms in on the weapon, which police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said was done to ensure a semi-automatic handgun in its holster and two bullet magazines tucked into Augustus’ waist could be seen clearly.
Augustus runs away and into the street as a police SUV drives up. He spins and darts between the SUV and the cruiser as he reaches toward his waist.
Augustus did not fire his weapon and the footage does not show him pulling the gun out of its holster, though he does appear to try to grab something at his waist, Guglielmi said. Police also released a 50-second slow-motion clip showing Augustus reaching toward his waist. It’s not clear if he was going for the weapon.
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