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Mayor Calls Fatal Police Shooting Of Paul O'Neal 'A Horrible Thing'

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Mayor Rahm Emanuel said the fatal police shooting of 18-year-old Paul O'Neal was a tragic loss of life, but he had little to say about the circumstances of the shooting, or the investigations into the incident.

"I think it's a horrible thing, and as I said it's a tragedy," he said.

The mayor said there are still more questions than answers regarding the shooting, and he is reserving judgment of the officers involved.

"I don't want to jump to a conclusion until we know some basic fundamental facts," he said.

The Independent Police Review Authority has released police body camera and dashcam videos of the incident, although those videos do not show the shot that killed O'Neal. Police Department officials have said that officer's body camera was not working, but said there is no evidence of tampering.

The mayor said that would be part of the investigation, and said he can't comment much until IPRA completes its probe, and the Cook County State's Attorney's office decides if there will be criminal charges.

"It's fair to ask the questions, but until the conclusion of the review by both IPRA and state's attorney, I don't want to jump to a conclusion, and I'll wait to hear from Eddie Johnson, the superintendent," he said.

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The mayor said he supported IPRA's decision to release nine videos from the incident within eight days of the shooting, as well as the superintendent's decision to strip three of the officers involved of their police powers until the investigation is complete. Johnson has said it appears those three officers violated department policies, but has not discussed specifics.

Emanuel declined to speculate on what other punishment officers might face, if any, for their actions.

"We'll all have the conclusion when the report's done, and whatever judgments," he said.

The videos released Friday show a chaotic scene July 28 as officers fired at O'Neal as he fled police in an allegedly stolen car down a residential street in the South Shore neighborhood. An officer shot O'Neal in the back after the teen crashed the car he was driving into a squad car and fled on foot.

Videos do not show the fatal shot, but do reveal officers' confusion during the incident, as some officers said they believed O'Neal had shot at them. However, O'Neal was unarmed.

Observers have said officers erred by firing at the car O'Neal was driving as he tried to speed away, because department protocols prohibit such a tactic unless a motorist is armed and firing at police.

Critics also have questioned the behavior of police officers at the scene after the shooting, as some appeared to suggest officers turn off their body cameras. Critics also said officers seemed to lack any sense of remorse for having shot O'Neal.

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