Video footage released Tuesday shows an Oak Park police officer firing nine shots as a man he had pulled over at a gas station ran away, fatally shooting him.
The officer had stopped Christian Wallace, 38, just after 9 p.m. May 31 at a gas station at Harrison Street and Austin Boulevard, Oak Park police have said.
In body-worn camera footage, the officer tells Wallace that he failed to use a turn signal when changing lanes, and he signaled too late when turning into the gas station.
Wallace provides his driver’s license and insurance at the officer’s request. The officer later says he smells alcohol in the car and Wallace shows him a red solo cup filled with a small amount of alcohol, which the officer says he’s “not worried about.”
The officer tells Wallace to exit the car, at which point Wallace gets out and steps aside to be searched. At one point, the officer appears to feel something on Wallace and asks, “What’s that?”
The body-camera footage is not visible at this point, but video from the officer’s squad car shows a struggle ensuing over a gun found on Wallace.
“Do not reach, bro, you’re gonna get Tased. Do not reach or you’re gonna get shot,” the officer yells. “… Do not reach for that f—— gun or you’re gonna get shot. Do you hear me? It’s not worth it.”
The officer continuously asks on his radio for backup and says, “He has a gun.”
Wallace and the officer wrestle on the ground for a moment until Wallace breaks free.
That’s when the officer opens fire and Wallace runs away through the gas station parking lot as the officer continues shooting.
“Shots fired! Shots fired!” the officer yells through his radio.
Body-worn cameras from two other responding officers show the initial officer and other officers rendering aid to Wallace.
Wallace suffered four gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead that night at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, police said.
The officer who fired shots was taken to the same hospital and released the next day. He remains on medical leave from an injury he suffered during the incident, Oak Park officials said.
“My heart continues to be with the family and friends of Christian Wallace during this incredibly difficult time,” Oak Park village President Vicki Scaman said in a statement. “Until now, the video was withheld so that the Public Integrity Task Force could maintain the integrity of its investigation. Today, we can take an important step toward transparency owed to those family and friends, and to the entire community, with the release of the footage.”
Oak Park Police Chief Shatonya Johnson said the shooting remains under investigation by the Illinois State Police.
“The Oak Park Police Department remains committed to transparency, accountability and treating every person with dignity and respect, with the preservation of human life at the center of everything we do,” Johnson said. “We will continue to provide information as appropriate while honoring the integrity of the investigation.”
