Chicago’s police oversight agency, COPA, released body-worn camera footage of CPD officers’ fatal shooting of Isidro Valverde in Irving Park last month. But a COPA statement accompanying the information appears to temper the agency’s previous statement that it was “unclear” if Valverde fired his gun during the confrontation with police.
Chicago police officers were looking for a man who reportedly threatened people with a gun outside Christina’s Place bar, 3759 North Kedzie, around 3 a.m. on February 8, when they encountered Valverde near the 3700 block of North Troy.
They chased Valverde, who fell after running into an alley, and they ordered him to stay on the ground, COPA said. But Valverde started to get up, and officers shot him.
Hours after the shooting, CPD Supt. David Brown said there had been an “apparent” exchange of gunfire between Valverde and the officers. COPA issued a statement the next day that said it was “unclear” if Valverde fired his weapon.
Now, in a statement accompanying Wednesday’s information release, COPA said their investigation would explore “the discharge of the individual’s weapon as he began to get up” as well as the officer’s decision to engage in a foot pursuit and whether the shooting was within CPD’s policies and training.
COPA’s information release includes video of a man pointing a handgun at another man outside Christina’s Place before the shooting:
Body-worn camera footage of the shooting from the two officers who chased Valverde is embedded below. For brevity, CWBChicago has removed portions of both videos that showed the squad car’s interior before the officers emerged to begin their foot pursuit. The full video and other documentation are available on COPA’s website. These videos may be disturbing for some viewers.
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