A JURY JUST CONVICTED A CHICAGO COP OF THE USE OF EXCESSIVE
FORCE FOR SHOOTING 16 SHOTS AT A CAR WOUNDING TWO TEENAGERS.
THE OFFICER IN QUESTION'S NAME IS MARCO PALLOTTA WROTE THAT THE
INCIDENT, HE WAS CONVICTED OF USING UNREASONABLE FORCE
AND HURTING TWO TEENAGERS.
HE LET OUT 16 SHOTS IN NINE SECONDS AT A STOLEN TOYOTA
AVALON FULL OF TEENAGERS.
ONE OF THE PIECES OF EVIDENCE USED IN THE CASE WAS ñ CAMBRIA
WHICH WE HAVE WHICH SHOWS HOW HE EXITED THE CAR AND BEHAVED.
THERE'S NO SIGN SOUNDS WE CAN TALK THROUGH IT.
WHAT GETS ME IS TURNING THE GUN TO THE SIDE LIKE A COWBOY.
ARE LIKE HE'S IN A 1990S RAP VIDEO.
I AM REALLY HAPPY THAT NO ONE GOT KILLED AND LOOK, IT WAS A
STOLEN CAR SO THEY WERE OBVIOUSLY INVOLVED IN
CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR.
THERE IS NO QUESTION ABOUT THAT WERE DEFENSIVE THAT AT LEAST
COMING FROM ME, HOWEVER, YOUR JOB AS A COP IS TO MAKE SURE
THAT YOU PROTECT PEOPLE AND THAT SHOOTING HAPPENED IN A
RESIDENTIAL AREA.
I DON'T THINK ANYONE DESERVES TO DIE SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY
STOLE A CAR.
THEY CERTAINLY DO DESERVE CONSEQUENCES BUT THAT IS
NOT THE CONSEQUENCE.
TRYING TO KILL SOMEONE ESPECIALLY TEENAGERS SHOULD
NOT BE THE CONSEQUENCE.
THAT WAS JUST SUCH A DUMB MOVE ON HIS PART TO SAY THE LEAST.
AND ACTUALLY PUT MORE PEOPLE IN DANGER.
IT THREATENED MORE PEOPLE'S LIVES AND IT JUST SHOWS HOW
INCREDIBLY IRRESPONSIBLE HE WAS DURING THIS SITUATION.
I AM ACTUALLY SHOCKED THAT THE JURY FOUND HIM GUILTY.
REALLY?
WHY?
WITHIN SO MANY OF THE STORIES.
WALTER SCOTT COMES TO MIND WHO WAS LITERALLY RUNNING AWAY
FROM THE COP, GOT SHOT AND KILLED IN THE BACK.
TAMIR RICE, THERE WAS NO JUSTICE IN THAT CASE.
TROUBLE PLAYING WITH A TOY GUN.
HE GOT SHOT WITHIN TWO SECONDS OF THE TOP SHOWING UP TO
THE SCENE.
FLATOW CASTEEL AS ANOTHER EXAMPLE, SOMEONE WHO LET
THE COP KNOW I HAVE A LICENSED GUN IN THE VEHICLE.
COP OPENS FIRE AND KILLS THEM IN FRONT OF HIS GIRLFRIEND AND
HIS DAUGHTER WHO WAS IN THE BACKSEAT.
THESE STORIES, THEY CONTINUOUSLY HAPPEN.
I FEEL LIKE WE'RE NOW CONDITION DID NOT EXPECT JUSTICE AND
SO IT IS SHOCKING THAT IN THIS CASE THERE WAS JUSTICE.
THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE KIND OF CALLS THE JUSTICE SYSTEM
AND I REASON A TASK.
THEY SAID THIS IS A SHIFT ANYWAY IN THE KIND OF TRIALS THAT
GO ON FROM BENCH TRIALS TO JURY TRIALS.
THEY TAKE ISSUE WITH THE NUMBER OF JUDGES WHO HAVE JUST
DISMISSED AND ACQUITTED BUT THIS IS A SHIFT.
THEY ALSO SAY:
THE SAME LAWYER THAT DEFENDED
THE POLICE OFFICER IN
QUESTION IS THE SAME LAWYER WHO WILL BE DEFENDING THE
POLICE OFFICER IN THE LAQUAN MCDONALD SHOOTING.
WE WILL SEE HOW IT GOES.
A STATEMENT WAS RELEASED BY THE FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE
PRESIDENT KEVIN GRAHAM.
I WANT TO RESPOND TO THAT BECAUSE I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT.
FIRST OF ALL, THE CAVEAT THAT IS ALWAYS MENTIONED AND I
THINK IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING.
YES COPS HAVE AN INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT JOB, ESPECIALLY IN
CRIME-RIDDEN NEIGHBORHOODS AND I KNOW CHICAGO IS DEALING WITH
INCREASED CRIME WHICH IS WHY IT'S MORE IMPORTANT THAN
EVER THAT THE COMMUNITY TRUST THE COPS.
IF THEY FEEL THEY MIGHT BE THE VICTIM OF A CRIME THEY CAN
CALL THE COPS AND NOT BE VICTIMIZED BY THEM AND
UNFORTUNATELY, THERE IS A DECREASE IN TRUST TOWARD POLICE
OFFICIALS BECAUSE OF WHAT WE ARE SEEING OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
THE SHOOTINGS THAT OCCUR THOUGHT THOSE TEENAGERS WERE IN A
STOLEN VEHICLE AND SO YES, THEY SHOULD BE PROSECUTED.
THEY SHOULD FACE THE CONSEQUENCES FOR THEIR ACTIONS.
THAT IS NOT MEAN THEY SHOULD BE SHOT BY THAT COP.
THE ONLY WAY THAT I THINK IT IS JUSTIFIED FOR A COP TO OPEN
FIRE IS IF THE INDIVIDUAL POSES AN IMMINENT THREAT TO THE
COB AND IN THIS CASE, EVEN THOUGH HE SAID IT WAS
SELF-DEFENSE, THE JURY FOUND NO.
THESE TEENAGERS WERE TRYING TO DRIVE AWAY.
THEY WERE REVERSING THAT THEY DID NOT POSE AN IMMINENT
THREAT TO HIM AND HE NEEDLESSLY WALKED TOWARD THE CAR.
HE OPENED FIRE.
AGAIN, I AM NOT MAKING ANY EXCUSES FOR THE CRIMINAL
ACTIVITY OF THESE PERPETRATORS, BUT I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THAT
COP WAS IN IMMINENT DANGER AND HE SHOULD NOT OF OPENED FIRE.
THAT WAS EXCESSIVE FORCE.
JASON MEISNER OF THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE OUTLINES HOW THE
PROSECUTION OUTLINED THIS, ESPECIALLY USING THE VIDEO FROM
THE DASH CAM SAYING:
AS YOU SEE, THE CAR BACKS AWAY FROM HIM AND HE ADVANCES
TOWARD IT AND AGAIN, THIS THING.
SHOOTING SIDEWAYS WITH THE GUN.
THAT CANNOT BE HOW THEY TRAIN YOU.
OF COURSE IT IS NOT HOW HE WAS TRAINED.
THERE ARE FLAWS IN THE WAY SOME DEPARTMENTS TRAIN THEIR
POLICE OFFICERS, BUT I WOULD BE SHOCKED IF THEY TRAIN THEM
TO SHOOT LIKE THAT.
WELCOME TO TRAINING.
DAY ONE IT'S THE VIDEO PORTION.
WE'RE GOING TO WATCH DON'T BE A MENACE, SO IF YOU COULD
JUST PLEASE TAKE YOUR SEATS AND JUST DO WHATEVER THEY DO IN
THIS VIDEO.
I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT.
I THINK IT IS WORTH OUTLINING TO PEOPLE THE KIND OF JUDGE ORDERED
ACQUITTALS THAT WERE AT TRIAL BASED, BENCH TRIALS THAT ARE
RECENTLY IN COOK COUNTY AS OUTLINED BY THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE.
IN 2015, DETECTOR DANTE SERVANT WAS CLEARED IN A FATAL OFF
DUTY SHOOTING OF RICKY BOYD.
THE JUDGES AND ALWAYS APPARENTLY COBLE IN THE SITUATION.
THEY SAID EVERYTHING ACCORDING TO THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE
EXCEPT YOU SHOULD CHARGE THEM WITH MURDER NOT A LESSER CHARGE.
2015 COMMITTED GLENN EVANS GUNNED DOWN, PUT A GUN DOWN
RICKY WILLIAMS THROAT AND WAS BELITTLED ñ
THEY BELITTLED THE EVIDENCE OF DNA ON THE GUN AS OF QUOTE
FLEETING RELEVANCE OR SIGNIFICANCE.
THE FACT THAT THE ALLEGATION WAS THE GUN WAS PLACED IN HIS MOUTH
AND THERE WAS DNA OF WILLIAMS ON THE GUN WAS DISMISSED AS A
OF LITTLE SIGNIFICANCE AND OFFICER JOHN GORMAN ACCUSED OF
AN OFF DUTY SHOOTING, FIGHTING SHOTS AT A VEHICLE DURING A
TRAFFIC ALTERCATION AFTER HE HAD BEEN DRINKING WAS RELEASED.
KEEP YOUR EYE OUT FOR THE LOOK ONE MCDONALD CASES IT CONTINUES.
ALSO THE POLICE OFFICER IN QUESTION, IT WAS IN A
MISCIBLE IN THE TRIAL BUT OVER A THREE-YEAR SPAN THIS IS HIS
THIRD SHOOTING THAT ONE INVOLVED A 3.5
MILLION SETTLEMENT TO THE FAMILY OF ONE OF THE PEOPLE HE
SHOT THOUGH THAT HAS BEEN OVERTURNED AND AWAITS APPEAL.
I THINK IT IS GOOD THAT WE ARE USING MORE VIDEO IN THESE CASES.
I AM GLAD THAT A JURY OF ONE'S PEERS WAS ABLE TO LOOK AT
THIS AND SEE WHAT A LOT OF US AS PEERS SAW AND BE LIKE, THAT
IS EXCESSIVE TO SHOOT 16 TIMES.
WE ARE GRATEFUL NO ONE WAS KILLED BUT THIS IS ONE TIME
WHERE WE SEE THE VIDEO AND THE JURY'S VERDICT, THE VERDICT
REFLECTS HOW A LOT OF US FEEL.