Chicago's police accountability office just released videos showing a Chicago police sergeant shooting a young black man with a developmental disability. And it's reigniting a conversation around the case.
The videos are from Aug. 13, 2017, when off-duty Chicago Police Sgt. Khalil Muhammad saw 18-year-old Ricardo Hayes. The police department's preliminary statement said the sergeant noticed a "male subject behaving suspiciously," and that Hayes' and Muhammad's interaction escalated to Muhammad shooting Hayes in the arm.
Shortly after the shooting, Muhammad called 911. The call captured Hayes screaming.
"I need an ambulance. I'm behind Morgan Park High School. I'm a sergeant of police, I need an ambulance right now," Muhammad said in a recording from the Office of Emergency Management and Communications of the City of Chicago.
"What happened?" the operator asked.
"He looked like he was about to pull a gun on me, walked up to the car, and I had to shoot," Muhammad replied.
Hayes didn't have a weapon.
The shooting is at the center of a lawsuit against Muhammad and the City of Chicago. The Intercept, which broke the news that the footage would be released, also spoke to Hayes' lawyer. His lawyer says the case isn't just about physical wounds, but that Hayes has experienced psychological damage since the shooting.
Muhammad had his police powers taken away after the shooting.
So why did it take over a year for the footage to be released? The Civilian Office of Police Accountability told Newsy it didn't want to violate the Juvenile Court Act or other state laws, so there had to be a thorough examination.
