(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Attorneys are shedding new light on the past of a Chicago Police officer who shot and killed a 61-year-old man during a domestic dispute call on the South Side last month.
"What this family really wants is justice. They want justice to make sure that this doesn't happen to a victim again," attorney Michael Oppenheimer said Friday.
He represents the family of Michael Craig, who was shot and killed by a Chicago Police officer on Oct. 4 after calling 9-1-1 and claiming his wife was holding a knife to his neck in their apartment.
Despite being the victim, Oppenheimer said, Craig was killed by an officer with a troubled past.
"On August 16th of 2018, the Superintendent of Police had filed with the police board of the city charges against this officer," Oppenheimer said. "It was recommended that he be discharged from the Chicago Police Department for violating several rules of conduct."
Those violations stemmed from a drunken disturbance involving the officer in which he allegedly ignored other officers' demands and was eventually placed into custody, Oppenheimer said. It's unclear if criminal charges were ever filed.
The officer conceded he had a drinking problem, Oppenheimer said, but was still allowed to serve.
"Here you have a police officer who is unfit for the job," he said. "He is not stable and should have been fired from the police department back then. Now, he's on the job and what happens? He shoots and kills a domestic-violence victim."
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability continues to investigate the shooting.
Family members are now demanding the officer be terminated and several policy changes be implemented.
