Attorney Accuses Cops Of 'Covering Up' Officer-Involved Shooting

ALSIP, IL -- Bail was set for a Chicago man recovering from gunshot wounds after he was shot by an Alsip police officer, who said the man was trying to run him over. Jamal Campbell, 25, was ordered held without bond in absentia last week because he is still in the hospital recovering from gunshot wounds.

Judge John Fitzgerald Lyke, Jr. convened a bond review for Campbell, who is charged with attempted murder of a police officer and two counts of aggravated battery with a motor vehicle. Campbell was not present in court.

During the early morning hours of Oct. 3, the prosecutor said that Alsip police were out looking for drag racers reported to be racing through a residential area. Officers tried to chase down a silver Dodge Charger but were not able to curb the car. Police found the second vehicle believed to be involved, a black Cadillac Escalade, just over the Alsip-Chicago border on 115th Street idling in an apartment complex parking lot. (SUBSCRIBE: Get Real-Time Alerts and a Daily Newsletter for Alsip-Crestwood.)

Officers blocked the Escalade in the parking lot and ordered the driver, later identified as Campbell, and another person in the front passenger seat to raise their hands. The prosecutor said the passenger raised his hands, but Campbell did not comply with police orders.

As police back-up arrived, the 25-year-old Alsip police officer had exited his vehicle and was approaching the Escalade. The prosecutor said that Campbell placed the car in reverse and began revving the engine before accelerating at a high rate of speed in the officer’s direction.

“For lack of better words he ‘pinballed’ back and forth off other cars,” the prosecutor said. “The officer was forced to back peddle.”

The officer shot at the car in an attempt to disable it. The prosecutor said that the Escalade “came within inches” of the young officer. Campbell was “making furtive movements” inside the car when he allegedly drove toward the officer again. The officer fired a second shot which incapacitated Campbell, the prosecutor said. The incident was captured on police dashboard and the apartment complex security cameras, the prosecutor said.

Campbell was charged with felony possession of a gun in Kentucky, which was knocked down to misdemeanor possession of stolen property. Campbell is also said to have an arrest warrant out of Indiana for possession of a controlled substance.

Campbell’s attorney Michael Oppenheimer told the judge that his client attended high school in Kentucky, where graduated with honors. He received an academic scholarship to the University of Kentucky. He attended college there for three years but did not graduate.

Oppenheimer said if the charges against his client about drag racing were true “the other car was nowhere to be found.”

“I have yet to hear about the drag racing,” he said sarcastically. “I assume that charge will come later.”

He said his client crouched down in the car after seeing Alsip police officers with their guns drawn.

“How can he go at a high rate of speed when he has nowhere to go,” Oppenheimer said. “Alsip police withdrew their guns immediately. They waited for backup. That’s a lot of time.”

As the police officer fired his gun, the front seat passenger was on his phone telling someone “we got stopped.” The passenger received a graze wound to the top of the head. There were no reports of guns or drugs being found in the Escalade, Oppenheimer said.

“More than two shots were fired,” he said. “Multiple shots were fired. The Alsip police officer was trigger happy.”

Campbell was wounded in the shoulder and jaw. He has undergone two surgeries to repair his jaw, which required the removal of many of his teeth. Campbell’s parents said their son was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he placed was under police guard. Cook County Jail records show that Campbell was transferred to Cermak Hospital.

“The [charges don’t] make sense,” Oppenheimer said. “Nothing here warrants attempted murder. He has no background except for a misdemeanor. I am asking for a low bond so he can get the medical care he needs.”

The prosecutor said that the passenger in Campbell’s vehicle said he at the police officer and “doesn’t know why he did it.”

Campbell scored an 8 (out of 12) on a public safety assessment and was flagged for violence, the judge said.

“I listened to both sides,” Lyke said. “Both of them are based on the information they have, and I have given both equal weight. The no bail will not stand.”

The judge set bail at $20,000 and electronic home monitoring should Campbell make bond. His next court date is Oct. 16 at the Leighton Criminal Courts Building.

Chicago police are investigating the shooting because it happened in CPD’s jurisdiction. The Alsip police chief has called for an independent review of the officer-involved shooting by Illinois State Police.

Oppenheimer said if Alsip police have video then it needs to be released to the public.

“There is a history of police cover-ups in Chicago,” Oppenheimer said after the bond review. “Justice was served last week with a guilty verdict [in the Jason Van Dyke murder trial]. “Based on what we heard today, we think police are covering up.”

More on Patch:

>>> Parents Claim They Can't See Son Who Was Shot By Alsip Police

>>> Cop Who Shot 'Drag Racer' Claims He Couldn't Get Out Of Way

>>> Suspect Shot, Wounded By Alsip Police Near 115th And Pulaski

Patch photo by Timmy Moran