Alsip police release video from police-involved shooting in Mount Greenwood

Alsip police released video on Wednesday showing the most detail yet of a police-involved shooting earlier this month on the Far South Side.

Video from the Oct. 3 incident shows a Cadillac sedan drive toward an officer before the officer opens fire and the Cadillac crashes into a second squad car in the parking lot of a Mount Greenwood apartment building.

The alleged driver of the Cadillac, 25-year-old Jamal Campbell, was struck by the officer’s bullets and faces a felony charge of attempted first-degree murder of a police officer.

In the footage, the squad car is seen pulling into the parking lot as the Cadillac drives toward it and stops. The squad car pulls closer and the Cadillac reverses slightly and stops again as the officer yells at the two men inside to show their hands.

After several seconds, the Cadillac appears to try to drive around the squad car, striking a parked vehicle in the process. The officer fires multiple times as he walks backwards behind his squad car to avoid being hit. The Cadillac then crashes into a second police vehicle that had parked behind the first.

Police said that after crashing into the squad car, Campbell continued to accelerate and spin his tires. In the video, screeching tires and engine revving can be heard before a single gunshot that comes several seconds after the initial shooting.

Cambell was shot twice and underwent two surgeries to treat a gunshot wound to his jaw, police and Campbell’s family said.

Campbell was charged and ordered held without bail during a hearing on Oct. 5. Days later, Judge John F. Lyke Jr. reduced Campbell’s bail to $20,000 after Campbell’s attorney, Michael Oppenheimer, raised questions about the version of events offered by authorities and called the officer who fired the shots “trigger happy.”

Alsip Police Chief Jay Miller and attorneys representing Campbell did not respond to requests for comment about the video on Wednesday.

The release of the video in response to Freedom of Information Act requests was discussed at a status hearing for Campbell on Oct. 17. Assistant State’s Attorney Guy Lisuzzo said he showed the dashcam video to one of Campbell’s defense attorneys and said both sides approved of the video being released.

After the hearing, George Campbell, Jamal’s father, said he believed the video would vindicate his son.

The incident began when Campbell’s Cadillac was allegedly seen drag racing about 2 a.m. in the David Estates neighborhood of Alsip with a Dodge Charger or Dodge Challenger, according to police and prosecutors. The Dodge was initially pursued, but when it could not be located, officers returned to search for the Cadillac, which was found nearby in the Mount Greenwood neighborhood in Chicago.

Oppenheimer suggested Campbell had crouched down inside his car because officers “had pulled their guns immediately” upon stopping his car.

Prosecutors have said the shooting was also recorded by surveillance cameras in the parking, but that footage was not included in the videos released Wednesday.

Campbell was released onto electronic monitoring after posting bond Oct. 16, according to court records. He is scheduled to next appear in court on Tuesday.