An off-duty Chicago cop was caught on camera fatally shot a man who attempted to steal her gun last month.
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On January 18th, the incident occurred in the 1300 block of West 90th Street in Washington Heights on the South Side. The female off-duty officer is seen in the video leaving an apartment building and attempting to calm down a situation involving Leevon Smith, who is arguing with a group of people. The group eventually departs, but Smith remains behind to speak with the officer.
Smith tries to grab her handgun as she returns to the apartment building, resulting in a struggle. She threatens him, saying, “I’ll kill you,” before firing two shots. Smith apologizes, saying, “Baby, I’m sorry… “I don’t want to die.” “I told your dumb a** I’d kill you,” she responds and shoots him for the third time. As she points her gun at Smith, the officer screams for a witness to call the cops.
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“I told your dumb— I’d shoot you. You tried to steal my f—ing gun. I don’t give no f— about him. He just tried to rob me.”
According to ABC 7 Chicago, the officer wasn’t named because it is still under investigation on whether she did any wrongdoing. She joined the force last June and a 911 call released by COPA caught the moment before she confronted Smith and the group. In the call, someone is heard saying “Just give me my bag back, bro.”
Smith later died from his injuries and Cook County officials said he had previous felony charges of attempted robbery and attempted battery but these charges didn’t appear in any records.
Social media reacts to the shooting as the video recieved over 6.3 million views on Twitter.
The video of the shooting was shared by @LowendAssJerry on Twitter where he tweeted the following “Leave people alone especially Chicago women.” Before it was revealed that the woman was an off-duty officer, many responded to the shooting with gifs and memes, stating that Smith’s final words were someone calling him a “dumb a**.”
Leave people alone especially Chicago women 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/JsfutBWZ7H
— geraldo (@LowendAssJerry) February 16, 2023
Then proceeded with “with yo dumb ass” 😭😭😭 they in hell clowning him
— geraldo (@LowendAssJerry) February 16, 2023
“I gotta go to work today” had me dying 🤣 pic.twitter.com/Zl2RmdCsL1
— Garnet West (@Garnet478) February 17, 2023
Smith’s family has filed a $10 million lawsuit against the city and officer on February 3 and accused her of using “excessive and violent physical force.” They also stated that the officer “knew or should have known that such force was not necessary in light of the circumstances.”
Additionally, it claims the “estate was diminished by virtue of the medical and funeral expenses that were incurred. [He] suffered injuries as result of his death, including, but not limited to the loss of companionship and society, grief, sorrow, and mental anguish.”
A statement from the officer has yet to be released.