CPD officer who fatally shot man during domestic disturbance call in Gresham faces firing

A police officer who fatally shot a man who called 911 for help at his Gresham apartment now faces dismissal more than two years after the incident.

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability recommended that Officer Alberto Covarrubias be fired for violating CPD policy when he shot Michael Craig in October 2021. Craig had called 911 and told the dispatcher that his wife was attacking him with a knife.

COPA also said Covarrubias violated policy by not immediately rendering medical aid to Craig.

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But Supt. Fred Waller did not agree that Covarrubias violated policy when he discharged his weapon. However he did agree that the officer should have provided medical aid to Craig and recommended the officer be suspended for 90 days instead, leaving a single member of the police oversight panel to settle the dispute.

Board member Aja Carr-Favors ruled on Thursday that the superintendent failed to overcome the burden for overruling COPA’s recommendation. Disciplinary proceedings will now take place before the entire board to determine Covarrubias’ fate with the department.

Last month the City Council approved an $8.75 million settlement with Craig’s family.

About 7:35 a.m. on Oct. 4, 2021, Covarrubias responded to a domestic violence call at Craig’s address in the 7700 block of South Carpenter Street. Police had previously been called to the home.

Craig, 61, told 911 dispatchers that his wife had “a knife on me, on the bed, on my throat.”

“She’s got a knife on my neck, I can’t move. If I move she’s gonna kill me,” Craig is heard saying on audio of the 911 call released after the shooting.

When Covarrubias arrived at the apartment building, Craig’s 7-year-old son was waiting outside to let them in.

Body-worn camera footage released by COPA showed Covarrubias walking up the stairs to the couple’s second-floor apartment with a Taser in his right hand.

From the stairwell outside the door, the officer announced, “Chicago police” and Craig was heard yelling back: “She got a butcher knife to my neck!”

As the officer prepared to step through the door, Craig’s wife screamed and the officer drew his pistol, switching the Taser to his left hand.

He fired the first shot almost immediately upon entering the apartment, as Craig and his wife appeared to struggle in a narrow hallway between the kitchen and bathroom. Craig and the woman fell to the floor, and the officer fired a second shot as Craig tried to sit up while the officer shouted, “Stop! Stop! Stop touching her.”

Covarrubias had previously faced firing over a 2016 arrest on assault charges stemming from a drunken off-duty encounter with police.

Contributing: Fran Spielman