CHICAGO — The Independent Police Review Authority released video of police officers shooting three men who allegedly burglarized a Little Village electronics store and reversed a van into a group of officers while attempting to escape.
On April 30, 2012, Chicago Police officers responded to a burglary at Mike's Electronics, 2459 S. Western Ave., according to the Tribune. Officers waited outside for the suspects to emerge, but the three apparently found keys to the store's van and loaded it with stolen merchandise, police said.
Video released by IPRA Friday shows the van plowing into a group of officers. Before the van stops, at least one officer is seen firing his weapon at the van.
WATCH the incident here:
A lawsuit filed by two survivors in the incident in 2012 says officers shot at the unarmed suspects after the van stopped and no longer posed a threat, according to the Tribune. Officers can be seen pointing their weapons at the van after it stops, but it's unclear whether shots were fired at that point.
David Strong was killed by police in the incident, and his two alleged accomplices were charged with his murder.
The survivors, John Givens and Leland Dudley, also were shot multiple times by police and sued the department for excessive force. Both men remained in prison Friday, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections.
The video and details in the case were released as part of a massive data dump by IPRA on Friday, showing documents and videos in more than 100 Chicago police misconduct cases.
The release comes after Mayor Rahm Emanuel's appointed Police Accountability Task Force called on the Chicago Police Department to acknowledge racism and fight the "code of silence" that keeps officers from being held accountable.
That task force also called for videos to be released within 60-90 days.
The massive release of videos includes many open cases, some of which are the subjects of lawsuits. At a news conference Friday, IPRA boss Sharon Fairley stressed that videos do not paint a complete picture of what happened in each incident, and many lack context.
“It's really important for you to keep in mind that these materials may not convey all of the facts and considerations that are relevant [to an officer's conduct," she said.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
