Lawsuit filed after ‘unjustified’ CPD shooting of teen on West Side, attorneys say

CHICAGO — Attorneys representing a 13-year-old shot by Chicago police on the West Side earlier this year are calling out the department and the officer who opened fire.

Attorneys filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city of Chicago and the officer involved, in what they call the ‘unjustified and unconstitutional shooting of an unarmed 13-year-old Black boy.’

They say the officer who shot the teen was involved in a previous shooting and should not have been on the streets when the teen was shot in May. 

SEE ALSO: Officer who shot 13-year-old at West Side gas station relieved of police powers, CPD says.

Andrew M. Stroth, with the Action Injury Law Group, spoke about the credence behind the lawsuit on Wednesday.

“This 13-year-old boy complied with the demands of the officers to put his hands up. He put his hands up and he was shot in the back,” Stroth said.

Civil rights attorneys and families whose loved ones have been shot and killed by a Chicago police officer united in support of the wounded seventh grader, A.G., and his mother, Cierra Corbitt. 

“This 13-year-old boy’s mother is not here today. Why? Because this young man requires 24/7 care,” Stroth said. “He is permanently paralyzed from the waist down.”

Police say the teen jumped from a stolen Honda Accord before he was shot during a foot pursuit in South Austin on May 18.

Attorneys say the officer who shot the boy was involved in another officer-involved shooting in June 2021 where the suspect was not hit. 

“His presence on the streets that day and the city’s systemic failures to train its officers and hold them accountable is why A.G. was so catastrophically injured,” said attorney Brian Eldridge of Hart McLaughlin & Eldridge.

“The last five years, there have been 7, 978 events where CPD officers have used force against civilians,” he added.

Eldridge says more than 90% of those cases were against minorities. Fed-up, loved ones say enough is enough. 

“This is hard. This is very hard. It’s not just about training, it’s about who they are hiring,” said Karen Winters, who had a nephew killed by a CPD officer.

WGN News reached out to the city’s legal department for comment. In response, the department said they are reviewing the lawsuit and would not comment on pending litigation. 

WGN News also reached out to the Civilian Office of Police Accountability but requests for comment have not yet been returned.