CHICAGO _ Two Chicago police officers were relieved of their police powers after department officials determined that they violated policy when they fired their weapons, killing an 18-year-old black man, a police spokesman said Friday night.
Police said three officers shot Paul O'Neal Thursday night after he sideswiped a patrol car and hit a parked car while driving a stolen Jaguar, injuring some officers.
Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson "spent most of this afternoon with top advisers and command staff reviewing the preliminary information from the incident. (Police) investigators determined 3 officers discharged their weapons in the course of their duties and given what is known thus far, it appears that departmental policies may have been violated by at least 2 of the police officers," police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi wrote in an email Friday night.
"As of now, the two officers have been relieved of their police powers and will be assigned to administrative positions within the agency pending the outcome of (the Independent Police Review Authority's) investigation and our continuing internal administrative review."
The officers involved initially were placed on administrative duties for 30 days per department policy. They now will be on administrative duty but not have their police powers and not return to regular duty unless they are cleared.
Friday night, a group of O'Neal's friends and activists held a vigil at the scene of the shooting.
The candlelight vigil of about 200 people gathered near the scene of the shooting briefly became a chaotic scramble Friday night after one man ran through the crowd and pushed O'Neal's sister, Briana Adams, 23, who was quietly asking everyone to respect her brother.
The crowd ran in all directions, and more than a dozen officers rushed to the scene. No one was hurt.
Eventually the crowd reconvened and cheered loudly as one of the organizers announced on a bullhorn _ incorrectly _ that the officers had been fired for violating police policy.
