Police sergeant faces firing for shooting at thieves who stole her SUV in Evergreen Park

A Chicago police sergeant is facing dismissal for allegedly opening fire on a group of thieves who stole her SUV outside of an Evergreen Park grocery store last October.

Andrea Kersten, the chief administrator of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, initially made the recommendation to fire Sgt. Oneta Sampson Carney late last year, but Chicago Police Supt. David Brown disagreed and recommended a 180-day suspension instead.

On Thursday, Chicago Police Board Vice President Paula Wolff broke the gridlock by siding with Kersten and setting in motion the quasi-legal disciplinary proceedings that will determine Sampson Carney’s future on the police force.

Sampson Carney, 59, has already been indicted on a felony count of reckless discharge of a firearm in connection with the Oct. 30 incident outside of a Sam’s Club at 9400 S. Western Ave., according to Cook County prosecutors. She has pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors previously said two suspects asked Sampson Carney and her husband if they needed help loading groceries when another person hopped into their Toyota 4Runner and drove off.

After the driver stopped as one of his accomplices ran toward the SUV, Sampson Carney fired a single shot using a 9mm handgun that struck the ground, prosecutors said.

Kersten recommended that a series of allegations related to the incident be sustained, including that Sampson Carney opened fire, failed to make the proper notifications and other violations related to the gun. Brown, in turn, contended that Sampson Carney shouldn’t be reprimanded for failing to notify the appropriate agency about the shooting in a timely and accurate manner.

Wolff concluded that Brown didn’t meet the burden for overcoming Kersten’s disciplinary recommendation, but provided no details in her written ruling.

Sampson Carney’s attorney, Donna Dowd, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.