Englewood police shooting may have sparked Chicago looting, some residents say CPD raised tensions at scene
Chicago man, 20, charged with attempted 1st degree murder for firing at officers
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Englewood residents said Monday they're frustrated by how police acted during a foot chase that ended with a young man shot and police and neighbors in a standoff just a half block away.
"The seeds for the painful destruction we saw last night were sewn in the 5700-block of South Racine," said Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown.
Police responded about 2:30 p.m. Sunday there for a report of a person with a gun. When officers arrived, they found a young male suspect who matched the description given, police said. Police tried to confront him in a nearby alley, but he reportedly ran from officers, pulled out a gun and began shooting at them.
Supt. Brown said officers returned fire, striking the 20-year-old shooter in the shoulder. He is expected to recover, Brown said.
Shooter hurt after gunfire exchanged with Chicago police in Englewood, CPD says
Monday afternoon, Latrell Allen of Chicago was charged with two felony counts of attempted first degree murder and one felony count of possession of a concealed weapon.
"After this shooting, a crowd gathered on the South Side. Following the police action, tempers flared fueled by misinformation," said Brown.
Tensions ran high as police and Englewood residents confronted each other near the scene of the shooting.
"If the police were here just to protect the crime scene, they didn't do that," said community activist Joseph Williams. "The police did the exact opposite of that. They came out and they just terrorized the community."
Williams said he came to the scene of the shooting yesterday to try to diffuse the situation.
"There was no relationship with the community and with the officers at all," he said.
Brown said that police shooting and misinformation may have sparked an online push to loot downtown.
"I know my peoples is angry. I know they're upset. But I'm just ready for them to do it in a better way to get they voice out. To get they feeling out. You want to be heard," said Englewood resident Latoya Akins.
Akins lives down the street from where the shooting happened, and said she's frustrated by how her community was treated by police.
"I understand why everyone was so upset and heated. They tired. They tired," she said.
But she and others are calling for an end to the looting and destruction in the city.
"I don't condone stealing and people tearing up businesses," Williams said. "Guess what? The people in the community work at some of these businesses. They still gotta feed they families."
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The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is investigating the officer-involved shooting.
Everyone ABC7 Eyewitness News spoke to in Englewood condemned the looting downtown, but said that police accountability is key.
