by Matt Agorist, The Free Thought Project:
“You have a video that shows our client was shot running away in the back twice. Unarmed. Shot in the back.”
Chicago, IL — In February 2020, Ariel Roman, 33, while traveling on Chicago’s public transit train, walked from one train car to another. That is all. For this action, two officers, assigned to Chicago’s mass transit unit, chased him and tackled him on the train platform before one of them opened fire. The unarmed man was shot twice. The video was so outrageous even the mayor weighed in, calling it “extremely disturbing.” The FBI was subsequently called in to investigate and multiple videos were released showing what amounts to little more than attempted murder by two of Chicago’s finest.
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A year and a half later, officer Melvina Bogard was finally been charged with aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct for shooting Roman. However, a little over a year after that and Bogard was quietly acquitted last month. A Cook County judge acquitted Officer Melvina Bogard on all the felony charges faced by Bogard.
The officer’s attorney argued that Bogard fired in self-defense as the unarmed Roman walked away from him.
“We hope the city of Chicago realized that this was an officer that really overstepped her bounds under the Civil Rights Act and using excessive force by shooting Ariel Roman not once but twice,” said attorney Gregory Kulis.
Bogard surrendered to police and appeared in bond court on Thursday where she was immediately released on a $10,000 bond.
“Judge Claps made the right ruling,” defense attorney Tim Grace said. “No doubt about that.”
Attorneys for Roman disagree, accurately pointing out that Roman was shot in the back as he walked away.
“We don’t think it was the right decision,” attorney Andrew Stroth said. “You have a video that shows our client was shot running away in the back twice. Unarmed. Shot in the back.”
“Police officer chases him up the stairs without evidence of a weapon. Shoots him in the back,” attorney Greg Kulis said.
Though Bogard was fired for shooting Roman, she never lost her police license and will likely be back on the force soon.
“She’s gonna have to deal with the police board, but based on that ruling, we’re confident she is fit for duty,” Grace said.
TFTP reported on the original cellphone video that went viral and after that, as part of the investigation, COPA released more than a dozen more videos, including a clearer and longer cellphone video and surveillance footage, showing just how unnecessary Roman’s shooting was.
Though COPA released multiple body cameras from officers who responded after the shooting, they conveniently omitted the body cameras from Bogard and Butler — most likely because it showed an attempted murder by one of their officers. One does not need these videos, however, to conclude that what happened was nothing short of attempted murder.
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