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Investigator Claims IPRA Fired Him For Refusal To Change Findings In Police Shootings

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Since 2007, there have been 400 officer-involved shootings and only one was ruled unjustified by the Independent Police Review Authority.

There might have been more, but when one investigator tried to blame cops for shooting civilians, he says he was fired. CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker talked to him.

When a Chicago police officer shoots a civilian, the Independent Police Review Authority investigates to determine if the shooting was justified.

Lorenzo Davis is a former supervising investigator for the board. He says he was fired eleven days ago for refusing to change his findings on six shootings.

"I have done interviews or canvasses," he said. "I've looked for witnesses."

He concluded all six officers were unjustified in pulling their triggers.

"You cannot shoot someone because they did not obey your order," Davis said.

Davis, a former Chicago Police commander, says he received good reviews until last year, when bosses concluded he had "a clear bias against the police."

"Morally, I cannot change if," he said. "Morally, I can't do it. "

Ironically, when the Independent Police Review Board was created in 2007, it was in response to accusations that the old board, which was controlled by the police, was unfair to citizens. Davis says this board is no better.

"To me they have a hidden agenda, one that I don't know about, to decide that virtually all police shootings are justified," Davis said. "That logically cannot be."

As for those six cases that Davis ruled unjustifiable, they're all in limbo now. Any or all could be changed to justifiable.

IPRA declined to comment about Davis's allegations, except to say the investigative process is extensive and involves checks and balances.

"IPRA is committed to conducting fair, unbiased, objective, thorough and timely investigations of allegations of police misconduct and officer-involved shootings," an official tells WBBM Newsradio.

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