- Credibility:
IRVING PARK — The man whom police shot and killed in Irving Park this week might not have fired shots at officers, police oversight officials said — despite what Supt. David Brown previously said.
The shooting occurred about 3 a.m. Wednesday. Two officers, a 12-year veteran and a probationary officer, responded to a call from a bouncer at Christina’s Place, 3759 N. Kedzie Ave., about a man pointing a gun at people outside the business, police said.
The responding officers spotted the man, ran after him into an alley in the 3700 block of North Troy Street and fatally shot the man after “an apparent exchange of gunfire,” Brown said at a news conference.
“From what we know now, based on looking at the body worn camera [footage], the offender fired his weapon. And the officers fired their weapon,” Brown said.
But Civilian Office of Police Accountability officials questioned that narrative Thursday.
Body camera footage shows when officers arrived on scene up until the shooting, Ephraim Eaddy, the agency’s first deputy chief administrator, said in a statement.
As officers ran after the man, they ordered him to get on the ground, Eaddy said. The man fell, and the officers told the man to stay down, Eaddy said.
The man tried to get up, then both officers shot at him several times, Eaddy said.
“It is unclear, nor has it been determined by COPA, if the individual discharged his weapon at police,” Eaddy said.
Authorities found a gun after the shooting, Eaddy said.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man as Isidro Valverde, 21, of the 3900 block of North Christiana Avenue. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
No officers were wounded, Brown said.
“We are committed to a full and thorough investigation to determine the facts related to this incident and if the actions of the involved officers are in accordance with Department training and policy,” Eaddy said.
Investigators are still interviewing people who were at the bar that night, canvassing the area and seeking additional surveillance video from the night of the shooting, Eaddy said.
Anyone with information or video footage can contact the Civilian Office of Police Accountability at 312-746-3609 or by visiting ChicagoCOPA.org.
Videos and other investigative materials related to the shooting will be posted to the agency’s website within 60 days, unless prohibited by court order, Eaddy said.
Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods.
