Aquoness Cathery Jr., a 24-year-old African American male, was fatally shot by a Chicago police officer on November 29, 2017, in the Washington Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The incident occurred around 2:15 p.m. in the 6100 block of South King Drive. According to police reports, officers from the Grand Crossing District were responding to a report of shots fired in the area when they encountered Cathery, who was allegedly carrying a handgun.
During a foot chase, Officer Julio Garcia fired his service weapon, striking Cathery on the back porch of a building. Cathery was transported to Stroger Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries the following day.
The aftermath of the shooting led to significant legal actions. Cathery's mother, Lashundia Key, filed a lawsuit against Officer Garcia and the City of Chicago, accusing Garcia of recklessly killing her son and deliberately misusing his body camera during the incident. The lawsuit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court, disputes the police narrative that Cathery was armed and posed a threat to the officers. Key's lawsuit alleges that Garcia intentionally turned off or disabled the audio on his body camera to conceal evidence of verbal commands, warnings, and gunshots. The body camera footage released by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability shows Garcia pursuing Cathery through an apartment and onto a shared porch area, where Cathery appears to be holding a gun. The footage, however, lacks audio in the moments leading up to and immediately following the shooting.
The lawsuit also highlights discrepancies in the police account of the incident. According to the lawsuit, Cathery had left an apartment moments before the shooting and was running away from the officers when he was shot. The lawsuit claims that Garcia began shooting as soon as he exited the back door of the apartment, hitting Cathery as he ran across the porch with his back to the officer. One of Garcia's shots reportedly went through a neighbor's living room window. The lawsuit further alleges that Garcia continued shooting as Cathery ran down the stairs, ultimately causing him to tumble to the ground, mortally wounded.
The case has drawn attention to issues of police accountability and the use of body cameras. The missing audio and obstructed views in the body camera footage have raised questions about the transparency and integrity of the investigation. The lawsuit filed by Cathery's mother seeks to hold Officer Garcia and the City of Chicago accountable for what she describes as the unjustified and reckless killing of her son.
