Paul O’Neal: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Paul O’Neal in a poster on his cousin, Zhivago Short’s Facebook page. (Facebook/Zhivago Short)

Paul O’Neal, an 18-year-old Chicago man in a stolen Jaguar, was shot and killed by Chicago police on the night of July 28, and the police spokesman already says policies might have been violated, according to ABC News. Police did not find a gun at the scene, said The Associated Press, and The Chicago Sun Times said that O’Neal was “shot to death by Chicago police officers while trying to drive away from a traffic stop.”

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson has now “relieved two officers of their police powers,” ABC News says.

The Chicago Police Department’s spokesman, Anthony Gugliemi, told the news media that “departmental policies may have been violated by the officers,” said ABC. That finding is only preliminary, cautioned The Chicago Tribune. Gugliemi added that “command staff determined a third officer who discharged his weapon didn’t violate department rules.”

The police spokesman added: “At this moment the department has, unfortunately, more questions than we do answers,” said WBTV, citing the Associated Press. (Although a tribute poster that O’Neal’s cousin, Zhivago Short, posted on Facebook spells O’Neal’s name as “Paull,” and a hashtag is now trending for #PaullONeal, Short confirmed that the teenager’s name was Paul with a single “L.”)

Here’s what you need to know:

1. O’Neal Was Killed During an Investigation Into a Stolen Vehicle

According to ABC, the officers had stopped a stolen Jaguar convertible on Chicago’s South Shore. They “were exiting their own vehicle when the driver sped away, sideswiping a squad car and a parked vehicle in the process,” said ABC. That’s when officers opened fire, according to the Chicago Sun Times.

The Chicago Tribune says that First Deputy Superintendent John Escalante told reporters at the scene that, as the officers got out of their car, the Jaguar’s driver “put the vehicle in drive and literally forced his way out.” The Tribune added that, according to police, an officer “continued to follow the fleeing offender.”

On Twitter, people were raising questions about that scenario.

The Jaguar had been stolen earlier from a Chicago-area suburb, says The Sun Times.

2. After Another Man Was Shot While Driving Away, Chicago Police Prohibited Officers From Shooting at Moving Vehicles if Weapons Were Not Being Used Against Police, Reports Say

According to a July 25, 2016 article by Reuters, “The Chicago Police Department updated its policy on use of deadly force, prohibiting officers from shooting at moving vehicles if no other weapons were being used against police.” Reuters said police made that move after Antwon Golatte was shot multiple times in 2015 “after he drove off in his Lincoln SUV as police tried to stop him after an alleged drug transaction.”

A few days before O’Neal’s shooting, Golatte held a news conference in which he said he wanted officers to step down because Chicago’s law enforcement review board had issued what Reuters calls a rare finding that the shooting of Golatte was unjustified.

In the O’Neal death, the Sun-Times says that the “Jaguar was blocked in by at least two police vehicles, but the driver tried to take off.” The Sun Times says it was not clear how many officers were injured in the shooting, which occurred at 7:30 p.m., although multiple offers suffered non life-threatening injuries.

3. Police Said They Did Not Find a Gun at The Scene & That They Are Still Investigating Why The Officers Opened Fire

WPTV, quoting the Associated Press, said the shooting remains under investigation. Among questions needing answering: Why the officers opened fire and who stole the Jaguar. “When the incident was over, police did not find a gun, either on the street or inside the stolen vehicle,” the police spokesman said, according to The Associated Press.

4. Police Were Wearing Body Cameras During the Shooting & O’Neal’s Friends Are Raising Questions About What Happened to Him

Lamon Reccord, a friend of O’Neal’s, is a well-known activist, according to ABC7. On Facebook, Reccord calls himself, “One of the youngest social activist in America.” He told the TV station, “I’m tired. I’m fed up.” Reccord wrote several lengthy posts on Facebook about the shooting:

ABC7 said officers’ body cameras recorded video, which will be reviewed by the Independent Police Review Authority. In addition, cameras inside the squad cars activated, said the news station.

5. A Vigil Was Held For Paul O’Neal In Chicago After The Shooting

The Chicago Tribune said a relative and activist were among those who spoke at the vigil. Watch a video of the vigil here.

“This type of stuff can’t happen on this block. It can’t happen in this city,” Aleta Clark, a community activist, says in The Tribune video. “We’ve got to do better.” The Chicago Tribune said that a man pushed O’Neal’s sister, Briana Adams, during the rally as she quietly asked people to respect her brother; officers rushed to the scene, said the newspaper.

Zhivago Short, 20, a cousin of Paul O’Neal, said angrily, “I can’t get my cousin back… that’s my baby cousin and I can’t see that him no more. That (expletive’s) sad, man….I lost my little cousin to this (expletive).”

Jessica McBride is a Heavy contributor. She was a crime, government, and breaking news reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and reporter for the Waukesha Freeman newspaper. Her award-winning work has appeared in numerous magazine, newspaper, and online publications. She has also appeared as a crime reporter on Investigation Discovery Channel, History Channel, and Oxygen Channel. She can be reached by email at jessica.mcbride@heavy.com.
July 30, 2016 1:02 am