CHICAGO _ A federal jury on Tuesday found that a Chicago police sergeant was unjustified in fatally shooting a 19-year-old man during a South Side foot chase in 2016, awarding the man's family more than $1 million in damages.
After a weeklong trial and more than 12 hours of deliberations that began Friday, the jury found that Sgt. John Poulos committed a battery when he shot Kajuan Raye as they ran through an alley in the West Englewood neighborhood.
The same jury, however, ruled that Poulos, who had claimed Raye pointed a gun at him during the chase, did not use excessive force.
As part of its split verdict, the panel awarded $1 million to Raye's mother, Karonisha Ramsey, as well as $25,000 in compensatory damages and $11,586 to cover the costs of her son's funeral.
Seated at the plaintiff's table, Ramsey let out an audible sigh and wiped away tears as the verdict was read. Across the courtroom, Poulos had no discernible reaction.
Ramsey's lead attorney, Michael Oppenheimer, said after court that although the jury found in favor of Poulos on excessive force, the verdict was a clear message that Poulos' version of events didn't add up.
"It doesn't bring Kajuan back. They feel his loss every day," Oppenheimer said. "But they are happy that the jury saw this for what it was, which is an unjustified shooting."
Poulos and his attorneys declined to comment as they left the courthouse. A spokeswoman for the city's Law Department said they were assessing what to do next.
Poulos fatally shot Raye on Nov. 23, 2016, after the African American teen ran from a street stop.
Poulos told investigators with the city's Civilian Office of Police Accountability he opened fire on Raye after the teen twice pointed a gun at him.
But immediately after Raye was fatally wounded, responding police found no gun near him or along the approximately two-block route of the chase.
Then nearly three months later, a resident raking leaves outside his home, which was located along the circuitous path taken by Raye, found a silver and black semi-automatic handgun under his bushes.
This discovery helped COPA clear Poulos of wrongdoing. It was a decision that hinged largely on broken handgun parts found in the front pocket of Raye's jacket, parts that appeared to have been missing from the silver and black gun that was recovered.
Two reports issued by different firearms experts _ one hired by attorneys for Raye's family and the other by Poulos' legal team _ came to the same conclusion: A bullet that struck Raye went through his back, exited his chest and damaged the gun as it rested in the front pocket of the coat.
Based on the experts' findings, lawyers for Raye's family conceded at trial that he was armed. But the lawyers also argued that Poulos lied to COPA about the teen pointing the gun at him since the weapon was likely in his pocket when he was shot.
"He shot Kajuan Raye on a hunch, and then he lied to cover it up," Oppenheimer said in his closing argument Friday.
Prior to the trial, those lawyers were not only asking a federal judge to decide the case in their favor, but they asked COPA to reopen its investigation.
"Both parties' experts confirm Poulos' account is not scientifically possible in light of the physical evidence, and COPA would have reached the same conclusion armed with more accurate information about the recovered firearm," Jared Kosoglad, one of the lawyers for the Raye family, wrote in a letter to COPA.
The verdict Tuesday was the latest mark in Poulos' troubled career with the Chicago Police Department _ much of which was barred from mention during the trial to avoid prejudicing the jury.
Raye was the second African American man in three years to be shot by Poulos, who is white. In 2013, Poulos was off-duty when he shot and killed Rickey Rozelle, a 28-year-old burglary suspect who was unarmed during the encounter.
Weeks after the Raye shooting, the Tribune reported that Poulos could have been fired in the 2000s, but that disciplinary case fell through the cracks for reasons the Chicago Police Department was unable to explain.
In 2007, CPD's internal affairs division found that Poulos violated department rules by being a part owner of a bar and lying on his job application to become a cop when he concealed that he had once been arrested. Poulos faced a penalty as severe as firing, but IAD's investigation for some reason was never officially closed.
During COPA's probe of the Raye shooting, CPD filed department charges against Poulos in connection with the disciplinary case from the 2000s.
Facing firing on those before the Chicago Police Board, the board eventually dismissed the case, citing CPD's yearslong delay in charging Poulos.
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