COPA releases video of cop shooting man holding knife in Bridgeport
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability released several video and audio clips Wednesday of a nonfatal police shooting that occurred in Bridgeport last March.
Wen M. Chen, 31, was shot after officers responded to a call of a domestic disturbance in a home in the 2800 block of South Throop around noon on March 13.
Newly released bodycam footage shows Chen with a butcher knife in hand as officers open the door to the room in which he’d locked himself.
After the door is opened, one officer, whose Taser was drawn and pointed at Chen, tells him to drop the knife six times before deploying the Taser. Another officer on scene also deploys his Taser, and Chen can be heard screaming in pain.
As Chen is being shocked, the first officer to deploy his Taser tells Chen to drop the knife twice more, bodycam footage shows. The officer then draws his gun and tells Chen three more times to drop the knife.
Chen, still screaming, then staggers out of the bedroom into a common area where the officers are standing. The officer who had ordered him to drop the knife fires once, striking Chen in the thigh. Blood could be seen on Chen’s neck, back and chest before the shot was fired.
Chen was taken to Stroger Hospital for treatment.
He was later charged with 12 counts of aggravated assault to a peace officer.
The officer who shot Chen was placed on administrative leave for 30 days, per CPD policy.
COPA typically releases available audio and video files of police shootings after 60 days. In this case, “The release of this video was prohibited due to a court order which has now been rescinded allowing COPA to make the relevant materials available to the public,” according to a statement from COPA.