2 Teens Shot By Police In Roseland
CHICAGO (STMW) -- Two teenage boys were shot Sunday evening in the Roseland neighborhood when Chicago Police opened fire on a stolen car packed full of joyriders.
About 5 p.m., police pulled over a speeding stolen car near 95th and La Salle, according to a statement from the News Affairs office.
After the car stopped, the driver got out of the car and ran away, according to the statement. As more officers arrived at the scene, a passenger in the stolen vehicle moved into the driver's seat and put the vehicle in reverse.
Fearing that people in the car could face harm, an officer discharged his weapon, striking two teenage boys inside the vehicle. They were placed into custody and taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center. No officers were injured during this incident. A weapon was recovered from the scene.
Fraternal Order of Police spokesman Pat Camden's narrative of the incident was different from the News Affairs statement. He said there were seven people in the car, and after the car stopped, a passenger got out through the rear driver's side door. The driver backed up and hit the passenger. Officers then began walking up to the car, telling the driver to stop, but the car began to pull away, dragging the passenger, Camden said.
Concerned with the safety of the person being dragged, officers opened fire on the car, striking two teens inside. Camden said the teens' injuries were not thought to be life-threatening. Camden also said a replica weapon was found in the vehicle.
At the scene, a large crowd gathered while the sedan sat about half a block north of 95th on La Salle with its front end up against a light pole and the passenger doors wide open. Evidence markers littered the street.
Sandra Collins said at the scene that police shot her son, who is a student at Kennedy King College.
"I'm not saying my son was the best, but he was the best to me, and the police shot him down in cold blood," she said. "My tears are so dried up."
Her daughter Gabriella Collins, 28, said she and her mother had tried in vain to get information from police.
"Where's the answers? They're hurrying up to get their stories straight," Gabriella Collins said, expressing frustration with police.
"Someone needs to explain. Somebody shot my brother," she said. "Where's my brother? Where's my brother?"
A boy, who Sandra Collins said was her youngest son, was handcuffed and detained by police after a heated confrontation between the family and officers at the scene.
The Independent Police Review Authority is investigating the shooting. The officers were not hurt.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2013. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
