CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A jury sided with several Chicago police officers in a wrongful death lawsuit over a shooting that led to protests in 2018.
The officers were being sued over the killing of Harith Augustus, a well-known barber from South Shore, who was shot after he was stopped on the street when an officer said he could see the outline of a gun visible under his shirt.
Video showed him reaching for the gun after an officer grabbed his arm. Another officer fired five times.
John Catanzara, Chicago’s police union president, said the jury got it right.
“Thankfully, those officers can breathe a little deeper, move on with their life and put this nightmare behind them when they did absolutely nothing wrong,” Catanzara said. “Kudos to the jury for having some common sense.”
Augustus had a valid FOID Card, but he did not have a concealed carry license.
The investigation by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability found that the officers demonstrated a lack of clarity regarding concealed carry stops.
In its report, the police oversight agency said officers’ “lack of understanding led to an escalation of the encounter, which may well have impacted the ultimate, tragic outcome.”
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