COPA shares videos of off-duty officer shooting driver in Albany Park
CHICAGO - Chicago’s police oversight agency released video that shows an off-duty officer shoot a man last year during a confrontation in Albany Park.
Meanwhile, the two men targeted in the shooting filed a civil rights lawsuit claiming the officer used excessive force in the Dec. 11 incident.
Officer Kevin Bunge claimed he drew his gun after hearing gunshots from his parked car in the 3300 block of West Irving Park, the men’s lawyers said in a statement.
Video released Tuesday by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability shows Bunge approach a vehicle parked behind him and fire shots as the other vehicle reversed down the street away from the officer.
Most of the videos shared Tuesday show the aftermath of the shooting, including the man’s bloody hand and a damaged car window.
The injured man was treated for a gunshot wound to his hand, police said. He was arrested but later released without charges.
Despite claiming that he opened fire after the driver pointed a gun at him, Bunge was relieved of his police powers pending a COPA investigation, which remained ongoing.
The Chicago Police Department would not comment on the lawsuit filed Tuesday.
Bunge has three prior use of force complaints, according to data from the Invisible Institute. None of the allegations were sustained.
Lawyers for the men claim they were unarmed during the shooting. The lawyers said Bunge "fired his gun at two unarmed Latino men who were sitting in a car, posing no risk to anyone."
Shortly before the shooting, the targeted men — Jomner Orozco Carreto and Carlos Ramírez — pulled over to check their GPS for directions, their lawyers said.
"They were legally parked, unarmed, had committed no crime, and posed absolutely no threat to anyone," the People’s Law Office said in a statement.
The pair called for the officer to be fired.
"I thought we were going to die. I don’t want this to ever happen to anyone else," Ramírez said in the statement.