Victim's Family: Chicago Cop Posted Death-Scene Photo Online
CHICAGO (CBS) – The family of a South Side man killed in a horrific pit bull attack is outraged that a grisly photograph of his death has surfaced on the Internet – and may have been posted by a police officer.
CBS 2's Mike Parker reports.
It all began the night of Aug. 16 in a second-floor Englewood apartment. That's when 44-year-old Charles Hagerman was mauled to death by at least one pet pit bull.
A few days later, a YouTube posting appeared. The opening title card read, in part, "CPD Photo. Do not forward."
This was followed by a sick and morbid attempt at humor: "Pit Bull vs. dude at 56th and Racine in Englewood. Guess who won?"
A close-up picture -- apparently a police photo -- showed Hagerman in death, his wounds shockingly visible.
According to relatives, the only people taking pictures at the death scene were Chicago police officers. The victim's widow, Charlotte Williams, says she wants a full investigation.
"It's just very, very inhumane," she says. "I can't believe they would ever do something like that."
A friend and neighbor of Hagerman's saw the posting.
"That's disrespecting his family and him," Janice Williams says.
The victim's mother, Saltitia Marsh, wants to know how a police death-scene evidence photo got onto the Internet.
Is a police officer to blame?
A spokesman for Chicago's Fraternal Order of Police said: "Somebody obviously leaked that picture. We don't condone that. A full police investigation is in order."
The office of Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy's did not respond Wednesday to a request for comment. CBS 2 was alerted to the photo by a Chicago police officer who received a text-message link to it; the officer was disgusted by the picture.
