Chicago Police Cleared in Fatal-Free Shooting Probe
Oversight agency finds two officers acted within policy during a September 2024 foot chase on the South Side.
Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Law Enforcement
Chicago's Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) cleared two officers of wrongdoing in a September 16, 2024 shooting of a 32-year-old South Side man during a foot chase in the 7100 block of South Jeffery. COPA sustained lesser policy violations against several officers in the same encounter, including report-filing and body-worn camera activation failures.
Why it matters
The findings close a use-of-force review that examined whether an officer's four shots at an armed man who kept running were justified under department policy. The case also shows how a single encounter can produce both a clearance on the shooting and sustained administrative violations for other officers.
COPA's findings conclude the administrative review, with both officers who fired their weapons found to have acted within Chicago Police Department policy. The individual who was shot at has already been sentenced to 2½ years in prison with 449 days credited, and the specific discipline for the officers with sustained violations was not stated.
The players
Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA)
COPA is Chicago's independent agency responsible for investigating misconduct and police use-of-force incidents involving members of the Chicago Police Department.
Chicago Police Department
The Chicago Police Department is the city's primary municipal law enforcement agency, responsible for policing its neighborhoods and enforcing state and local law.
The details
Officers responded to a 'person with a gun' call and encountered a 32-year-old man matching the suspect description. When officers stopped to speak with him, he ran into nearby traffic lanes, was struck by a passing car, and got up pointing a firearm toward an officer, prompting one officer to fire four shots as he continued running. Officers allegedly recovered a firearm and a bag of marijuana baggies during the arrest.
Timeline
September 16, 2024: Foot chase and shooting in the 7100 block of South Jeffery.
Six days before the encounter: The man was placed on first-time weapon offender probation.
Late 2025: The man pleaded guilty to aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and aggravated assault of a peace officer.
November 13, 2026: COPA released its report clearing the officers of wrongdoing.
Legal Context
The COPA review follows the framework that governs Chicago's civilian oversight of police shootings, where officers are judged against Chicago Police Department policy rather than criminal standards. Illinois sentencing rules also cut prison time roughly in half for the offenses the man pleaded guilty to, a detail that shapes how these cases resolve on the criminal side.
Residents of the South Side should know that officers in this type of chase may be judged against department policy in the days and months after an incident, and that the public can review the findings through COPA's published reports. The case also shows that officers can face sustained policy violations even when the use of force itself is cleared.
The takeaway
Oversight findings can clear an officer's use of force while still sustaining violations for paperwork and recording failures, so the full report is often more informative than the headline outcome. Readers following police accountability cases should look beyond the clearance to the individual violations listed.
Further reading
For more on how local agencies handle these cases, see Law Enforcement coverage in Chicago.
Source note: This article includes information reported by CWB Chicago.
