Armed black man fatally shot running away
CHICAGO — A Chicago police officer fatally shot a 24-year-old black man who authorities said pulled a gun while running away, prompting questions from the man’s family about why the encounter turned deadly.
Sgt. Rocco Alioto said the “armed confrontation” Wednesday evening on the city’s South Side happened as officers conducted a narcotics investigation. He said the suspect fled on foot when officers approached. Alioto said in a statement that officers told the man to stop and he “produced a weapon,” so the officer shot him.
The man, later identified as Maurice Granton, Jr., died of a gunshot wound to the back, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office said Thursday. Police haven’t said how many shots were fired by the officer.
Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said that officers involved in a narcotics investigation were watching the area Wednesday evening through one of its surveillance cameras mounted on poles throughout the city. They saw Granton taking part in what appeared to be an illegal drug transaction and dispatched officers to the scene.
Guglielmi posted on Twitter a photograph what he said was the weapon found at the scene of the shooting carried by Granton. He said that there is physical evidence that the gun had been fired. No officer was shot although a sergeant may have suffered a broken ankle during the confrontation.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability was investigating the shooting. The police department has not released the name or race of the officer involved in Wednesday night’s shooting.
The shooting of Granton comes as police have faced intense scrutiny over allegations of excessive force involving black suspects.