Body cam video shows fatal police shooting involving knife-wielding man in Austin
CHICAGO — The Civilian Office of Police Accountability released body cam video of an officer-involved shooting in the city’s Austin neighborhood that left one person dead and another in critical condition.
It was back on Tuesday, May 27 when a street fight and stabbing forced Chicago Police to intervene in the 300 block of S. Cicero Ave. According to investigators, the two officers involved said they opened fire to stop the knifing. The officer’s bullets struck and killed the man holding the knife.
The knifing victim was also wounded.
“10-4. I need more units at Cicero and Gladys. We have shots fired by police. We have EMS en route and a victim stabbed.”
Before the deadly shooting, patrol officers are heard on audio ordering the aggressor, later identified as Tracey D. Watson, to drop his knife.
“Shots fired! Shots fired!”
The use of deadly force was followed by the urgent effort to save the mortally wounded Watson.
“I need a tourniquet! Anybody got a tourniquet?“
In the aftermath, a bystander who appears to have had some initial involvement in the street fight called the police response into question.
“I told him, ‘Don’t shoot. Get the Taser. You’re supposed to use the Taser!’”
Watson, 35, would later succumb to his fatal injuries.
In Tuesday’s public release of video and preliminary reports, COPA investigators say the patrol officers who pedestrians initially flagged down tried to get Watson to drop his weapon.
“The officers exited their vehicle and gave verbal commands to the individual to drop their weapon,” COPA noted. “The individual failed to comply with the officer’s commands, resulting in both officers discharging their firearms.”
Chicago police news affairs say the officers involved in the deadly shooting remain on active duty pending the final results of COPA’s investigation. A future review by Chicago police Supt. Larry Snelling will also conduct a review to determine if the shooting was justified.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV.
