The Weekend Desk Report

By Steve Rhodes

“Seconds after a Chicago police officer opened fire on him as he ran from a South Side traffic stop, 17-year-old Cedrick Chatman had collapsed in the street when the officer’s partner approached to take him into custody,” the Tribune reports.

“I give up. I’m shot,” Chatman said to Officer Lou Toth, according to Toth’s statement to investigators at the scene.
A bullet had struck Chatman in the right side, pierced his heart and lodged in his spine. He died on the way to a hospital.
The detail of Chatman’s last words was included in hundreds of pages of investigative records released by the city Friday that laid out how Chatman’s suspected involvement in a violent robbery and carjacking ended with his fatal shooting less than a mile away.
The documents – which included detectives’ reports from the scene, autopsy results, inventory logs, lineups and transcripts of witness interviews – show that Officer Kevin Fry consistently told investigators he saw Chatman turn with a dark object in his hand as he ran full speed across the busy South Shore neighborhood intersection in the early afternoon.
“Officer Fry said he believed that the object was a handgun and he was in fear of his partner’s life, as Toth was in close proximity to the offender,” said an incident report documenting Fry’s initial interview with detectives. The object turned out to be a black iPhone box.

Why would someone point an iPhone box at a police officer?

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Meanwhile, just as I was asking myself while reading this story if the city always released this much information about police cases or if this was a new thing, because it struck me as a new thing, I came upon this part of the Trib’s report:
“The document dump came a day after surveillance footage from Chatman’s January 2013 shooting was released by the city as it works to change a long-standing policy to keep evidence in police shootings under wraps.”
Good.
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Also of note:
“The officers’ accounts differ from statements given to reporters by Pat Camden, a spokesman for the Fraternal Order of Police, shortly after the shooting . . .
“Camden has acknowledged in a recent deposition, however, that his statements to reporters in police-involved shootings are typically based on hearsay information relayed to him by a union representative at the scene, not details coming directly from investigators or the officer who opened fire.”
1. My understanding is that the union rep would relay to Camden what the officer told the rep.
2. What the officer would tell the rep, and what the rep would tell Camden, which Camden would then tell reporters, would then never reflect poorly on the officer.
3. Did reporters know this is where Camden’s information was coming from? And why would reporters accept what was said by a union PR guy with an obvious agenda and no information about the actual investigation? Did the Chicago police supervisor on the scene refuse to comment? Was CPD content to let Camden do their job for them?
4. Alternately, Camden says now he was just relaying hearsay, but maybe that’s to cover his ass to avoid having to testify about who told him what in any particular case.
In any case, go read the whole thing.
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Beachwood Sports Radio: Why Is Everyone So Mad At The Bulls?
So much anger for a 23-156 team. Plus: Giving It Up For The Q Man. Giggity; Cutesy Cubs Convention Convenes; and Put Jason Benetti On The Board, Yes!
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The Sound Opinions Weekend Listening Report: “Sound Opinions remembers pioneering music icon David Bowie. The pop chameleon died of cancer on January 10, 2016. Hosts Jim and Greg also review the singer’s new album Blackstar, which came out on his 69th birthday, only two days prior to his death.”
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The CAN TV Weekend Viewing Report
Ashley Memorial Project
“Aldermen and Familia Latina Unida call on President Barack Obama to stop the deportation of non-citizen veterans and their families.”
Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on CAN TV21 and online.
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Who Will Be Chicago’s Next Police Superintendent?
“The Chicago Police Board receives community input on the search for the new Superintendent of Police.”
Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on CAN TV21 and online.
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Media Coverage of Black Lives Matter
Journalists discuss Black Lives Matter media coverage at this event hosted by National Association of Black Journalists Chicago Chapter and the Chicago Headline Club.
Sunday at 12:30 p.m. on CAN TV21 and online.
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Weekend BeachBook

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The Weekend Desk Tip Line: It’s a small world after all.

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Posted on January 16, 2016