On July 4, 2014, Chicago Police shot and killed 14-year-old eight grader, Pedro Rios, as he crossed Cicero Avenue in front of an approaching police car, on the northwest side of town. According to reports, police allegedly spotted an object protruding from the boy’s waistband. When officers tried to question Rios, he reached for what turned out to be a .44 Magnum revolver – an expensive “Dirty Harry gun.” The officer shot him for ‘pointing the gun at them’. Rios died of multiple wounds at 10:07 p.m.
An official copy of the boy’s death record, certified by the Cook County medical examiner, stated the murder, caught by multiple surveillance cameras, as “suicide.” Performed by the same medical examiner’s office, Rios’ autopsy findings (which revealed that Rios was lying face down on the ground when he was killed) called it a “homicide.”
Meanwhile, the Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA) – a City of Chicago agency tasked with investigating police misconduct complaints and weapon discharge notifications – categorized the fatal shooting of Rios as “non-fatal” in its statistical report to the public.
A Truthout investigation has found contradictions in the police account of Rios’ killing and multiple aberrations in the classification of his death. At the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office, Rios’ parents identified their son via photograph. According to a spokesperson, the identification method was in line with office policy. However, Laura Rios and Pedro Rios Sr. have described being given no information as to why they could not see their son’s body, despite asking a Cook County interpreter for an explanation. Furthermore, the parents have not been allowed to view the surveillance footage of their son’s killing.
Rios’ death is among at least five fatal police shootings uncounted in the “officer involved shootings” statistical reports from 2012 to 2014. The reports are provided to the public by the Independent Police Review Authority and are derived directly from the Chicago Police Citizen and Law Enforcement Analysis and Reporting (CLEAR) database.
Homicide or suicide? What is the city of Chicago trying to hide?
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Just your average idiot cop. Why the fuck do you need to shoot a kid pointing a gun at you? You weren’t sure if it was loaded, and even so, it’s a damn kid, how likely is it that he’ll shoot you? And were you that scared that you didn’t go for the legs?
Shut the fuck up if you got a gun and point it at the law it is stated as a threat so stop making assumptions that the kid didnt have the weapon loaded or to scared to shoot if he had a gun in the first place he was asking to get shot.
Ever consider the gun was planted? Cops have been proven to do that.
The cop’s not in the wrong this time. Why the hell would you pull a gun on a cop? Cops have all rights to not get shot; the force used by the officer is equal to the force used by the civilian. The KID pulled the GUN at the OFFICER, not the other way around.
Sad thing is I live in Chicago.
Release the video or don’t release the article. If you show no evidence there is no evidence. Aswell, cite your sources; this is just sloppy work that seems exagerrated every second longer i read it.
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/29989-non-fatal-how-a-boy-s-deadly-shooting-by-chicago-police-uncovers-accountability-mechanisms-designed-to-fail.
Now don’t you seem like a dick.
Why are u demanding proof of information that is a matter of public record. How VACANT do u have to be to claim this story is fake when u obviously didn’t do any research yourself to disprove it. Your a complete moron. Shut up
The reader should not be forced to research information given in the articles itself. Articles should have references to sources information was taken from, whenever possible. Being a moron is taking everything you see online as the truth. Being skeptical is being intelligent enough to ask for verification.
I am pained by your ignorance
I think they ruled it a suicide because it’s friggin suicidal to pull out a .44 and point it at cops. Dumb kid~
Oh. Sweetie, you’re fucking dumb as he’ll. Did u read this article or did u read the first paragraph and decide it was ok for child to DIE execution style wile lying face down on the ground? Maybe some pig should shove your face in the Shit and put a bullet in your head too. Your obviously not using it.
I have to agree with the information given.. Many people point guns at cops when they want to simply be killed (for whatever reason). I don’t agree with cops shooting unarmed people running away, don’t agree with rogue neighborhood watch loonies acting like cops but it is nothing less than suicidal to pull a gun on a police officer (or anyone–unjust).
I’ve done some pretty dumb stuff but I grew up on a tobacco farm in the ’80s and knew better when I was 5 yrs old to not even point a super soaker at a cop.
Yeah pulling a gun on cops in america. I don’t really blame the police for shooting in that situation. I think a cop anywhere in the world would do the same. More of a gun control issue then police brutality which this article made it out to be.
“Pedro” That is all the police need to know their life is in danger in ameriklan.