Crime & Safety
Veteran Chicago Cop Faces Murder Charge in Fatal Shooting of Unarmed Man
UPDATED: Lowell Houser, who has been on the force for 28 years, was off duty when he allegedly shot Jose Nieves earlier this month.
CHICAGO, IL — The Chicago police officer who fatally shot an unarmed man earlier this month while off duty faces murder charges in the shooting, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Lowell Houser, a 28-year veteran with the Chicago Police Department, was charged by Cook County prosecutors with first-degree murder Wednesday in connection with the Jan. 2 incident, the report stated. His bail hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
The Independent Police Review Authority is still investigating the shooting, but Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson stripped Houser of his police powers Jan. 3. At the time of the shooting, Johnson said he had more questions than answers concerning the incident.
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RELATED: Chicago Cop Stripped of Police Powers After Fatal Off-Duty Shooting
Houser is accused of fatally shooting Jose Nieves, 39, who was unarmed, in the 2500 block of North Lowell Avenue in the Belmont Gardens neighborhood. Nieves' family claim the shooting came after an earlier argument that day, and police have said the two had had past disagreements but would not go into detail about when or what they were about.
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“The Nieves family is devastated by the loss of Jose," said a statement from the family's lawyer, according to CBS Chicago. "The State’s Attorney’s action today will not bring back Jose but is an important and swift step in the criminal justice process.”
On Jan. 6, Nieves' sister filed a federal lawsuit against the police department, accusing Houser of illegally detaining and threatening Nieves before the shooting. The suit also alleges the two had an argument sometime in the past.
According to the Tribune, Houser has faced at least 20 disciplinary investigations since the early 1990s. Although he wasn't punished in most of the complaints, he has been suspended by the department several times, the report added.
RELATED: Chicago PD Sued by Sister of Man Fatally Shot by Off-Duty Cop
Nieves has no serious criminal convictions despite repeated arrests, according to the report.
UPDATED (4:52 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 18)
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