Teen says cop told him he’s ‘lucky’ to be alive after cop shot him

SHARE Teen says cop told him he’s ‘lucky’ to be alive after cop shot him
marcoproano.jpg

Chicago Police Officer Marco Proano at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse in a file image | ABC7Chicago

After a Chicago police officer wounded two teens in a December 2013 shooting, he told one of them he was lucky to be alive, the teen told a federal jury Wednesday.

“He told me I’m lucky that he ain’t kill me,” the teenager testified.

Jurors heard from the victim on the first full day of testimony in the trial of Officer Marco Proano at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse. Proano, a veteran Chicago police officer, is charged with civil rights violations after he fired 16 shots at a stolen Toyota at 95th and LaSalle on Dec. 22, 2013. The car was full of at least six teenagers. Proano fired on it as it reversed with one teen hanging out of a back window.

The trial began this week and prosecutors could rest as soon as Thursday.

Proano’s defense attorney has said his client made a “split second” decision in what he believed to be a neighborhood full of guns, drugs and crime.

When police stopped the car that evening, the driver jumped out, left it in drive and fled on foot. The Toyota then rolled forward and became wedged between a police car and a parked car. Meanwhile, another teen tried to get out and found himself stuck between the Toyota and the police car.

The wounded teen who testified Wednesday told jurors how he then lunged forward from the back seat toward the front of the car. He said he put the car in reverse and “hit the gas” with his hands.

“I was trying to get away from the police,” he said.

RELATED: Attorney defends ‘split second’ decision as Chicago cop’s trial begins

Proano had arrived at the scene earlier, as another officer ordered people in the car not to move. The teen said he did not hear those commands. He said he only heard gunshots as the car rolled backward, and he “balled up” to avoid the bullets. The teenager said they skinned his forehead and cheek, and he said he was shot in the shoulder. Another teen was shot in the left hip and right heel, records show.

Later, the teenager said police pulled him out of the Toyota and put him on the ground. That’s when he said Proano told him he was lucky to walk away with his life.

The Latest
Over the course of just six fast-paced episodes, Esposito creates a memorable character in this crime drama based on the BBC One series “The Driver.”
Ald. Jeanette Taylor, chair of the City Council’s Education Committee chair, said she’s disappointed that Johnson and his allies in the Chicago Teachers Union backed away from the fully-elected, 21-member board he once supported. “This is not going to be as easy a transition as people think,” she said. “We’re used to a top-down system.”
Alex Caruso has been looking for a defensive showing like the one he and his teammates put on display in the win over the Pacers, but Caruso also knows it needs staying power. Could Javonte Green help that process moving forward?
Christian I. Soto, 22, was charged with murder, attempted murder and home invasion, officials announced Thursday. Rockford Police Chief Carla Redd said earlier investigators haven’t determined a motive for the attacks.
Can a message generated by an algorithm ever match hearing from a human?