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Person Killed in Officer-Involved Shooting in South Shore, Authorities Say

Police said the man, believed to be in his 30s, died at a local hospital after getting into a confrontation with police

What to Know

  • Chicago protesters clashed with police after a man believed to be in his 30s was killed during the confrontation Saturday in the South Shore
  • The shooting took place in the 2000 block of East 71st Street, around 5:30 p.m., when an officer says he saw a man with a gun
  • Locals threw bottles of urine and rocks at officers, even causing some damages to squad cars. Four arrests were made & 4 police were injured

A man was killed during a police-involved shooting Saturday evening — an incident that turned into a violent protest where four Chicago police officers were injured and four arrests were made in the South Shore neighborhood, authorities said.

The shooting took place in the 2000 block of East 71st Street, around 5:30 p.m., police said. According to police, officers on a foot assignment observed a man that they believed was armed. After officers attempted to question him, a confrontation broke out and the man was shot. 

The man, identified Sunday morning by police as 37-year-old Harith Augustus, was pronounced dead at Jackson Park Hospital, and a weapon was recovered at the scene. 

He was a barber who was well known in South Shore for bringing his 5-year-old daughter with him to work, according to a statement issued by Rainbow PUSH Coalition.

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A violent confrontation with police officers emerged after neighbors gathered at the scene of the incident. Police brought additional officers to the chaotic scene to help control an angry crowd. Some people threw bottles of urine and rocks at officers, even causing some damages to squad cars. Four arrests were made and four police officers were injured.

Several individuals were heard shouting "We can't even mourn in our community!" into megaphones. Some residents at the scene were seen on video clashing with authorities and others kept yelling "Who do you serve? Who do you protest?" to police.

The protest later turned into a march that lasted past 11:30 p.m.

Rainbow PUSH demanded transparency on behalf of police officers, which meant a request to release footage of what exactly happened Saturday night.

“A thorough and transparent investigation of the shooting is crucial to begin the long process of rebuilding the trust that has been harassed and beaten out of black and brown communities by bullies with badges for decades in Chicago and across the country,” the statement said.

On Sunday officials released the body camera footage from the officers involved "in the interest of transparency & to dispel inaccurate information."

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is still investigating the shooting. Audio from the body camera footage will be released at a later date, according to officials.

"COPA is committed to a thorough, objective, and unbiased investigation and requests the public's patience and cooperation," the organization said in a statement. 

The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois issued a statement Sunday morning saying, "the community deserves an open, fair investigation of this shooting.  But that cannot happen until Chicago reforms the police department, including how misconduct is investigated. The City should agree to the Attorney General’s demands, to community demands, and start the process of reform now."

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