Chicago activist demands all footage from police shooting
CHICAGO — A community activist who has pushed for more police transparency said Monday that he's asked Chicago police for the body camera footage from all the officers at the scene where one of them fatally shot a black man over the weekend.
William Calloway said a brief video released by police showing the view from one officer's body camera does not answer crucial questions, starting with the reasons the officers approached 37-year-old Harith Augustus on Saturday afternoon just before he was shot. Calloway also said that a police spokesman's explanation that the Augustus was "exhibiting characteristics of an armed person" does not justify stopping someone in a city and state where it is legal to carry a concealed weapon.
Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said Sunday that detectives have found no documentation that Augustus had a concealed carry permit, but Calloway said there is no way officers at the scene could have known that when they approached him.
A department spokesman, Tom Ahern, said officers have the right to pat a person down on the street if they are concerned about their own safety.
"If they feel someone is acting suspiciously or they see a bulge under their shirt, if the person is evasive or refuses to answer questions, they can do a protective pat down," he said, adding that the officer must be able to "articulate why they have a reasonable suspicion" that a person could pose a threat.
"They can't start digging through their pockets... but they can pat down the outside of their clothes."
The video released by police did not include sound so it is impossible to hear what was said by either Augustus or any of the four officers at the scene. It shows one of the officers trying to grab the arm of Augustus, who spins and runs away with a clearly visible holstered gun on his hip.
"He was having a civil conversation with the black cop at first so we need to know what he and that officer were saying," Calloway said. "There needs to be (footage) from four police officers with audio."