Crime & Safety
Backlash Fears Stopped Veteran Officer From Shooting Man Who Beat Her: Chicago's Top Cop
Police are second-guessing their actions because they're worried about public criticism, CPD Superintendent Eddie Johnson says.
CHICAGO, IL — The strained and sometimes contentious relationship between the Chicago Police Department and the residents it protects has beat cops worried about the public backlash that could result even if they do their job the right way.
Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson says that kind of second-guessing led to a 17-year veteran of the force being beaten and seriously injured at a crash scene because she was concerned about using her gun in self-defense and the possible criticism an action like that could bring, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Johnson said the patrol officer, 43, got into a scuffle with a man who was leaving the scene of an accident he was involved in Wednesday in the West Side neighborhood of Austin, the report stated. The 28-year-old man — who police claim was allegedly high on PCP — beat the officer unconscious by repeatedly slamming her face into the pavement, the report added.
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The officer's partner eventually was able to subdue the man using his Taser and pepper spray, the report stated. But not before he injured two other officers, the report added. All three officers and the man were taken to local hospitals, according to the report.
At an event in honor of heroic city police and firefighters Thursday, Johnson praised the bravery of his injured officer, adding that she could have been killed during Wednesday's incident, the Tribune reports:
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"As I was at the hospital last night, visiting with her, she looked at me and said she thought she was going to die, and she knew that she should shoot this guy, but she chose not to because she didn’t want her family or the department to go through the scrutiny the next day on national news."
Johnson wouldn't speculate on whether the use of deadly force against the man would have been justified because he didn't know all the details in the case, the report added.
The man, who has a previous gun conviction and multiple arrests, has not been charged in the alleged attack, but police say charges are pending, the report stated.
photo via the Chicago Police Department
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