Family Furious After COPA Rules Sergeant Was Justified In Shooting That Killed Englewood Teen

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Surveillance video shows a Chicago Police sergeant chasing an Englewood neighborhood teen – moments before the sergeant shot him in the back and killed him.

The Civilian Office of Police Accountability has found the sergeant's actions justified in the Nov. 23, 2016 shooting that killed Kajuan Raye. But as CBS 2's Cesar Rodriguez reported Friday, questions remain about where and when a weapon was recovered.

"I miss him dearly," said Raye's mother, Karonisha Raye. "The whole family misses him dearly."

Raye on Friday continued to demand justice three years after her son was shot dead by police.

"It's been a hard journey for me and my family," Karonisha Raye said tearfully. "My son was only 19 years old."

On Friday, the family of the teen gathered in front of Chicago Police Headquarters on South Michigan Avenue to express their outrage – days after
COPA concluded its investigation.

Video shows Sgt. John Poulos running after Kajuan Raye in the 2016 incident. CPA ruled the shooting was justified.

But Karonisha Raye insists her son was not armed.

"There was no gun. There will be no gun," she said, "because Kajuan did not have a gun."

Investigators never found a gun at the scene the day of the shooting. However, a weapon was found under some bushes three months later.

COPA concluded that testimonies, social media pictures, and circumstances led them to determine that the weapon was in Kajuan Raye's possession at the time of the shooting.

"I want John Poulos to get what he deserves for the killing not only one but two," Karonisha Raye said.

Poulos also shot and killed another man in 2013. A patrol officer at the time, Poulos fatally shot 28-year-old Rickey Rozelle in Lincoln Park.

Poulos was off-duty when he said he saw Rozelle trying to break into a building. He told investigators he shot Rozelle when the man wouldn't show him his hands.

The agency then known as the Independent Police Review Authority ruled that shooting was also justified. They found Rozelle threatened to kill the officer and turned toward him with a shiny metallic object.

However, investigators never found a weapon on or near Rozelle's body.

The Chicago Police Department said as of Friday, Sgt. Poulos has been placed back on active duty status – with COPA having concluded an investigation.