New York Post

Blowin' his top at Windy cops

‘Inaction’ on year-old Chi teen slay

- By JORGE FITZ-GIBBON jfitz-gibbon@nypost.com

Fox News commentato­r Gianno Caldwell is calling out the Chicago Police Department over his brother’s unsolved killing — saying cops in the Windy City “failed my family” a year after his younger sibling was randomly shot dead.

Caldwell, 36, told The Post Sunday that cops have repeatedly blown him off as he’s sought answers in the June 24, 2022, bystander shooting death of 18-yearold Christian Beamon.

“It’s been hell on earth,” he said. “It’s been a lot of pain.”

The Fox political analyst said he believed his yearlong campaign for justice would have spurred police action.

“I thought just being a national TV personalit­y, star, whatever you want to call it, or just having the spotlight was going to lead the police to really be effective in doing their jobs and want to solve it,” he said. “What has come is not that.”

‘Pulling every lever’

Caldwell added: “I got all these great resources and powerful people and friends. Even when it first happened, I had friends calling the chief of police, the superinten­dent of police in Chicago. Multiple people.

“It’s just really insane that I’m having to pull every lever that I can,” he said. “And it still meant nothing.”

Beamon was in Chicago’s Morgan Park when gunmen opened fire from a passing black sedan, killing the teenager and wounding several others — with cops recovering as many as 50 shell casings.

Caldwell has since been fighting to get cops to track down his brother’s killer.

He blames then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot for what he calls soft-oncrime policies that have led to a spike in crime in the city — which he said has continued under current Mayor Brandon Johnson.

“If officers and prosecutor­s don’t want to do their jobs, they should leave those jobs. Leave it to people who want to do the work,” Caldwell said Sunday.

“But this is where we are,” he continued. “I have a greater appreciati­on for all the other people who have to suffer even more than I have trying to get justice for my little brother.”

In an emotional interview on Fox on Friday, Caldwell said he was told in March that a suspect in his brother’s slaying was in federal custody — but the feds and city cops have refused to return his calls since.

“They absolutely failed us,” he told the network.

“It should not be that victims of violent crime across this country are suffering because prosecutor­s, these soft-on-crime prosecutor­s, these progressiv­e prosecutor­s across the country, are not doing their jobs,” he said. “Or these police department­s where you have officers — and I respect police department­s, I’m a big supporter of them — but for those who don’t want to do their jobs, they need to be called out.

“And that’s why I’m here today,” he said, fighting back tears. “I am pissed the hell off with injustice. I am pissed the hell off with inaction, and I will not stop until there’s justice for my brother.”

Caldwell said he has lobbied Congress to push for more action, adding that “violent crime is a bipartisan issue, because Democrats and Republican­s and independen­ts alike are getting killed.

“They should be interviewi­ng me,” he said of the FBI. “Why haven’t you picked up the phone? Why haven’t you touched base with my mom or any family member?

“We are victims of a murder in Chicago. An innocent kid. An innocent kid.”

Caldwell is asking anyone with informatio­n about Beamon’s killing to call 312-747-8271.

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 ?? ?? UNHEALED WOUND: Gianno Caldwell (top and above with late brother Christian Beamon) is outraged at the Chicago authoritie­s.
UNHEALED WOUND: Gianno Caldwell (top and above with late brother Christian Beamon) is outraged at the Chicago authoritie­s.

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