Black Teen Killed By Chicago Cop Had No Gun
The Chicago police are yet to uncover the gun alleged to have been in possession of Kajuan Raye, the Black teen who was shot and killed by an officer on Wednesday.
A 19-year-old Black teen was shot in the back and killed by a Chicago police officer in the city’s South Side on the night before Thanksgiving, the Daily Mail reports.
The sergeant claimed Raye turned and pointed a weapon at him ‘on two separate occasions during the pursuit’, so he fired multiple shots at the suspect.
Raye was struck and killed. Police have yet to find any weapon despite searching the area overnight, according to CPD Superintendent Eddie Johnson.
Surveillance image from a nearby church captured footage of the officer chasing Raye, but does not show the moment the shooting happened.
Please help & donate for #KajuanRaye‘s funeral. He was 19 & CPD killed him last night. His mom & dad are devastated https://t.co/7kOtC6OntX pic.twitter.com/7wNiEIpYCX
— BLMChicago (@BLMChi) November 25, 2016
‘We were not able to locate a weapon as of yet, ‘ Johnson said on Thursday.
‘There’s still many unanswered questions and we are working diligently to find those answers.’
Late Wednesday night, a Chicago Black teen, Kajuan Raye was fatally wounded by a Chicago Police Department (CPD) sergeant, whose name has not been released to the public, in the West Englewood neighborhood of Chicago, RT states. The sergeant had responded to a call about a battery in progress when the sergeant found a man that “matched the description of the offender,” CPD Superintendent Eddie Johnson said Thursday, according to the Chicago Tribune.
The sergeant approached the man, but the man ran away, police said. The sergeant chased the man, who at some point “turned and pointed” a weapon at the sergeant, Johnson said.
The sergeant fired his own weapon in response, hitting the man in the abdomen. The man was later identified as Kajuan Raye, 19, by his family. A wounded Raye was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
No officers were injured during the pursuit. Police in the Englewood District do not wear body cameras, according to Mia Sissac, a spokeswoman for the Independent Police Review Authority. The CPD is seeking out surveillance video that may offer more information on the incident, Johnson said.
A so-called grid search early Thursday by CPD officers and a K-9 unit found no gun at the scene, Johnson said.
“Unfortunately, we still don’t have a complete synopsis of exactly how and what transpired,” Johnson said, according to the Tribune. “There is still a lot of investigating going on.”
The shooting is being investigated by the Independent Police Review Authority.
Police shot an unarmed man, activist Eric Russell told DNA Info Chicago. Russell said he went to the scene of the shooting to find any witnesses.
“Police don’t get to be judge, jury and executioner,” Russell said. “Once again we have an unarmed black boy that was executed… Every time they police our community, they police our community with deadly intent. So, once again, we have another dead kid. There was no weapon recovered.”
During a press conference, activist Ja’Mal Green said the sergeant involved in the shooting has fired his weapon before.
Chicago Police admit that #KajuanRaye was unarmed when they murdered him, countering initial reports. https://t.co/Pogs7o9LiL
— The Chicago Alliance (@NAARPR) November 24, 2016
“This is not his first time shooting someone,” Green said, according to DNA Info. “He needs to be stripped of his police powers immediately. That is what we’re calling for… Why is he still on the streets? And why does he have the rank of a sergeant?”
The Chicago Police sergeant involved in the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Kajuan Raye has now been relieved of his police powers pending the completion of the Independent Police Review Authority’s investigation, according to ABC 7.
“Having been a police officer for 28 years, I know that this job is not easy and the decision to use force is extremely complex and must be made in seconds without the benefits of formal reviews and deliberations,” said Supt. Johnson in a statement on Saturday.
Another Young Brother Murdered by #Pigs in Chicago! Say a Prayer 4 #KajuanRaye Family His Life Mattered #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/QYa3L3Uyen
— ILoveMyWife0007 (@ILoveMyWife0007) November 27, 2016
“However, based on the little information we know at this point, I have concerns about this incident and feel this decision is in the best interest of the Department and the people of Chicago as we await a methodical and impartial investigation into exactly what transpired.“
Nineteen-year-old Kajuan Raye was described as his family as “fun-loving and happy kid who had a bright future,” The Root states. On Wednesday, police say a sergeant was called to an intersection near a park on the city’s south side in response to a report of a “battery in progress.”
CNN reports that Raye’s family is “heartbroken that their son is dead at the hands of a police officer who does not value the sanctity of life of black males,” the statement reads. “As a city we continue to struggle with police who are afraid of and have deep seeded prejudices against black youth.”
Vigil for 19-year-old #KajuanRaye, killed by @Chicago_Police. Autopsy says fatal shot was in his back. No gun found. https://t.co/qXun7TMC9f
— Rachael Perrotta (@plussone) November 26, 2016
A lawyer with the firm Raye’s family retained told CNN the claim that Raye pointed a weapon is absurd, given that police haven’t found one after what Johnson said was a grid search of the area.
Attorney Jay Payne said Raye was waiting with a cousin for a bus when the officer approached him, nothing more. “We will be asking the Cook County state’s attorney to prosecute this officer,” Payne said.
In April, a report from the Police Accountability Task Force created by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel after the death of Laquan McDonald, another black teen by police, noted that Chicago police “have no regard for the sanctity of life when it comes to people of color” and have alienated blacks and Hispanics with the use of force and a longstanding code of silence.
During the past eight years, 74 percent of people killed or injured by Chicago police officers were African-American, the report said.
Another bright future of an innocent Black teen is shattered by an irresponsible and iniquitous Chicago police officer. How long are we going to live as though we are all due for execution? Black people in America go about their daily activities with fear and a panic, not knowing who next is going to be shot by the police. This is absolutely unacceptable and indeed horrifying.
