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CHICAGO — The two officers who shot a man Friday at the Red Line Grand Station have lost their police powers.
The officers were “relieved of their police powers” on Wednesday by interim Police Supt. Charlie Beck, just hours after the Civilian Office of Police Accountability recommended the move.
The officers could see their powers restored “pending the outcome of the external reviews into this matter,” according to a Chicago Police news release.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability, which reviews all use of force by Chicago Police officers, made the recommendation Wednesday morning after a preliminary investigation into the controversial shooting, according to a news release.
It was not immediately clear what “police powers” the officers would be stripped of, but they could lose their guns, have to surrender their badges or be banned from driving department cars, among other things.
Members of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability reviewed video of the shooting — including a viral video shared on Twitter — and interviewed witnesses and reviewed Police Department reports to come to the decision.
But the group has not yet reached a final decision on what should happen, according to its news release. It’s still in “the early stages” of the investigation.
Anyone with video or information about the shooting was asked to contact the office at 312-746-3609.
The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office and FBI are also reviewing the shooting for possible criminal charges.
The shooting quickly gained widespread attention as videos showing the leadup to the shooting — and even shots being fired by an officer — were almost instantly shared on social media, where they’ve been watched thousands of times.
Multiple officials have said they were concerned about the shooting after seeing the videos.
Earlier this week, Beck asked the State’s Attorney’s Office to drop charges against the man who was shot, Ariel Roman.
Roman, hospitalized after the shooting, had been charged with resisting arrest and with drug offenses. But the Police Department decided it would be “insensitive to advocate for these charges” in light of the circumstances of the shooting.
“While we will not rush to judgment, the level of concern over the tactics used in this incident is significant,” police said in a Sunday statement.
The shooting happened Friday inside the station at 521 N. State St. In a statement, police said a man — Roman — was moving between two “L” train cars when officers tried to stop him. The man and the officers struggled at the station, and the officers used their Tasers on the man.
“At some point during the incident, one of the officers discharged their weapon, striking the subject twice,” according to police.
Roman was taken to Northwestern Hospital, where he underwent surgery and was in “critical but stable condition,” police said.
A video shared on Twitter shows what led up to the shooting: Two officers struggle with Roman on the ground inside the station.
“Shoot him! Shoot him! Stop resisting!” the male officer says. “Give me your hands! Give me your hands!”
Roman gets to his feet and the officers again tell him to stop resisting. The female officer, her gun out, tells Roman to put his hands down and give his hands to the male officer.
The officer then fires a shot and Roman runs up a nearby escalator. Another shot can be heard being fired as the officers get toward the top of the escalator, and a woman screams.
The video then ends.
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
The video, as well as another that also shows Roman and officers struggling on the floor at the station before the shooting, has been watched thousands of times and was quickly spread over social media.
Activists protested near the station over the weekend, and Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the video was “extremely disturbing and the actions by these officers are deeply concerning.”
