Chicago police have released dashcam video showing the police shooting death of Ronald Johnson, 25, in Chicago’s Washington Park neighborhood in 2014.
The video released by the Clark County prosecutor’s office shows Chicago Police Officer George Hernandez shooting Johnson in the back 2 seconds after arriving on the scene in his squad car.
Police maintain Johnson had a gun in his hand. No weapon is seen in Johnson’s hand on the video.
The video begins with officers pursuing Ronald Johnson around a corner. A female officer is seen pursuing him and pausing to draw her weapon while Johnson scuffles with 2 other officers off camera.
Within seconds, Johnson reappears on camera and runs past the female officer — who could have shot him but didn’t.
Hernandez is seen arriving in his police vehicle and jumping out after Johnson has already sprinted past his car.
The video clearly shows Officer Hernandez drawing on Johnson and shooting him in the back after Johnson had already sprinted past his car.
Clark County State Prosecutor Anita Alvarez announced there would be no criminal charges filed against the officer for shooting Johnson in the back.
But critics argue that Hernandez fired 5 shots at Hernandez, hitting him twice in the back when he was not a threat to the officer.
“With respect to the officer shooting Ronald Johnson in the back, the fact that the officer… officer Hernandez… shot Ronald Johnson in the back is one of many factors that had to be carefully considered and evaluated.”
Alvarez said, “even though Ronald Johnson was running away from the officers, he was running toward a police vehicle containing 2 officers” and “unknown numbers” of the public inside that park.”
The shooting occurred after midnight, making it unlikely that people were inside the park.
Alvarez added that Johnson could’ve “easily turned around and fired at the officers pursuing him.”
To support her theory, Alvarez played an unrelated video of a fleeing suspect who reached back and shot a pursuing police officer without turning around.
Johnson’s family battled the city for release of the video for more than a year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PveFmBKFhik
