Another video of fatal police shooting in South Shore released — more than a year later

More than a year after the fatal shots were fired, the city’s police oversight agency released an additional video showing the fatal shooting of Harith Augustus by a Chicago police officer in South Shore.

The video’s existence was first reported by Jamie Kalven for The Intercept. Kalven was the journalist who first reported that CPD Officer Jason Van Dyke had shot Laquan McDonald 16 times.

Hours after Kalven’s report was published, Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s office vowed to investigate why the video didn’t come to light until more than a year after the shooting, despite an edict that the Civilian Office of Police Accountability release all footage within 60 days of a use-of-force incident involving police.

“We are working with the Chicago Police Department (CPD) and Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) to investigate what appears to be a violation of this strict video release policy, and we will take any and all necessary actions to ensure nothing but full compliance is followed going forward,” mayoral spokesman Patrick Mullane said in an emailed statement.

Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesman for the CPD, also said an inquiry will be opened to figure out why the video was not released sooner.

“While this appears to be a clerical oversight between CPD and COPA investigators, it’s imperative for any investigation that every piece of evidence and information is reviewed in accordance with departmental policies and procedures, and released in accordance with the City’s video release policy,” Guglielmi said in an emailed statement.

On July 14, 2018, Augustus, 37, was walking in the 2000 block of East 71^st Street when a veteran officer, Quincy Jones, stopped him because he was “exhibiting characteristics of an armed person.”

Several more officers on foot patrol soon surrounded Augustus. One of the officers, Megan Fleming, grabbed his arm. Augustus pulled away and took a few steps into the street. While doing so, Kalven writes, Augustus’ hand “appeared to touch his holstered gun.” That’s when another officer, Dillan Halley, started shooting, even as another CPD SUV drove through his line of fire. Augustus would be pronounced dead within an hour.

A week of occasionally violent protests in South Shore followed. In an effort to quell the unrest, the CPD released portions of video recorded on Halley’s body-cam that were edited to highlight the gun Augustus was carrying at the time. Though he had a Firearm Owner’s ID card, he did not have a concealed carry license.

The latest video — 24 minutes long, recorded by a dashboard-mounted camera — captures Augustus retreating from officers into the street, with his shirt being raised to reveal the gun. Halley can be seen firing several rounds.

Soon after, local activist and former aldermanic candidate Will Calloway filed a lawsuit demanding the release of “all audio and video from the fatal shooting of Harith Augustus.”

In his new report, Kalven says the video was posted by COPA three weeks ago — more than a year after an attorney for the city told a county judge that “all of the requested records in this case” would be produced by COPA by Aug. 16, 2018.

Ephraim Eaddy, a spokesman for COPA, said the agency posted the video only after it learned it existed.

“Over the course of the investigation, COPA identified additional video related to the incident not previously in its possession, which COPA requested and has since obtained,” Eaddy said in a statement. “The video was released and posted on COPA’s website within 60 days as a supplemental release to the original posting.”

However, the agency said Thursday that it was launching an internal review to learn “why the additional video was not included in the original material released and in accordance with the city’s video release policy.”

A police report from the day of the shooting notes that dash-cam footage was recovered from one of the squad cars on scene, though the dash-cams in two other cars were not working that day.