Video released Thursday shows a young off-duty Chicago police officer killing a violent mugger who tried to steal her gun. The incident took place last month in Washington Heights on the South Side.
After helping break up a fight involving the mugger outside her apartment building, the video shows the officer walking away when the thief sneaks up behind her and grabs for her gun.
She yells she’ll kill him before firing two shots shots into her attacker to free herself.
The mugger proceeds to say “you got me, you got me” but does not disengage. The young woman then fires a third shot.
“I told your dumb*** I’d kill you!” the officer exclaims while firing what ended up being the fatal shot.
The thief whimpers: “please baby, I’m sorry. I don’t want to die.”
The woman then yells for uniformed police to arrive on scene.
WATCH:
Off-duty Chicago cop shouts “I’ll kill you” before fatally shooting a man who grabbed for her gun pic.twitter.com/xn58rMgbin
— 𝙀𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 ✪ 500k? (@NoPlugMedia) February 17, 2023
The mugger died from wounds sustained from the shooting at a local hospital. The female officer was treated for a laceration above her eye.
Just before the crook died, he faced charges of attempted battery and robbery. He had no business walking the streets in the first place.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported Thursday:
An off-duty Chicago cop shouted “I’ll kill you” before fatally shooting a man who grabbed for her gun during a struggle last month in Washington Heights on the South Side, video released Thursday shows.
The private surveillance footage, released by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, initially shows Leevon Smith arguing with a group of people in the 1300 block of West 90th Street just before 1 p.m. on Jan. 18.
The off-duty officer eventually leaves an apartment building, tries to defuse the conflict and urges those involved to “calm down.” The other people take off, but Smith sticks around and talks to the officer for just over a minute.
As she turns to head back into the apartment building, the video appears to show Smith reach for the officer’s handgun, setting off a struggle.
“I’ll kill you,” the officer yells before firing two shots.
“You got me. You got me,” Smith says.
“I told your dumb— I’d kill you,” the officer says as she fires a third shot.
“Baby, I’m sorry,” Smith responds. “I’m sorry. … I don’t want to die.”
The officer then yells for someone to call the police while continuing to scream at Smith.
An arrest report shows the cop told responding officers that the shooting happened after she witnessed “a verbal argument.” She said Smith grabbed her from behind and reached for her gun “in an attempt to disarm her.”
She and Smith eventually fell to the ground while struggling for the gun, the report states. The officer then opened fire, striking Smith in his abdomen and left hand. Smith was taken into custody and brought to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead on Jan. 20.
A tactical response report states that Smith posed an “imminent threat of battery” without a weapon and physically attacked the officer. It also claims she was ambushed with “no warning” and fired a total of three shots.
The officer was treated for a laceration above her right eye at Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park, according to the arrest report.
A day before Smith died, Cook County prosecutors approved felony charges against him, the arrest report shows. He faced counts of attempted robbery and aggravated battery, but the charges don’t appear in county court records.
Smith’s estate filed a lawsuit against the city and the officer Feb. 3, pushing for a judgment of $10 million.
One can only hope a Chicago jury is not dumb enough award this deceased low-life’s family a penny. The only action needed is a medal for the young female officer who valiantly defended herself.