Jul 3, 2009 4:50 pm US/Central
Police Shoot, Kill Teenage Home Invasion Suspect
Police: Suspect Pointed Gun At Officers On City's West Side
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Police shot and killed a home invasion suspect on the city's West Side overnight.
A Chicago teenager is dead. The 16-year-old was shot in the back by police overnight, but officers say they had no choice.
CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reports.
Chicago Police Department Superintendent Jody Weis says from what has been revealed about the shooting so far, it appears justifiable.
Police say, the teen not only pointed a handgun at an officer, but was wearing a mask, to conceal his identity too.
"If you point a weapon at someone, they're probably going to try to take his life," Weis said.
Weis says, from what he knows about the shooting of 16-year-old Rakeem Nance, an officer fired his gun to protect a fellow cop.
Police say the teen and two other men were in a West Side alley after a home invasion, on the 1900 block of South Spaulding. A mobile strike force unit was patrolling the alley at the same time.
Police say they chased Nance and the other men, who were carrying items from the home with them. During that pursuit, police say Nance pulled a gun on an officer.
"As he was running down an alley, there was an officer in front of him trying to block his path," Weis said. "There was an officer to his rear – you know he pointed his weapon and tried to kill the officer in front of him. Fortunately, the officer to his rear saw this and was able to engage the offender and prevented him from killing a police officer."
Nance was shot in the back at 1948 S. Christiana Ave., according to a police statement. He died at an area hospital. Rakeem Nance, 16, of 1910 S. Troy St., was pronounced dead at 11:32 p.m. at Mount Sinai Hospital, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office. An autopsy Friday revealed Nance suffered a gunshot wound to the back.
None of the officers were injured.
Weis said based on the facts he knew, "it appears right now that the shooting was in department guidelines." The statement said the officer pursuing Nance with the gun repeatedly ordered him to drop his weapon, according to the statement.
Police sources say Nance has had past arrests between the ages of 12 and 15 for: possession of cannabis in 2008; unsafe crossing between CTA cars in 2007; felony robbery in 2006; and misdemeanor battery in 2005.
Nance was enrolled in 9th grade last school year at Collins Academy High School, 1313 S. Sacramento Dr., Chicago Public Schools spokeswoman Monique Bond told CBS 2.
Rakeem Nance's family did not want to make any comment for the story. Meantime, police say the two other men who were with Nance, fled. They are still at large.
"We have identified witnesses and are looking at evidence," said Mark Payne, a spokesman for the Independent Police Review Authority, which investigates all police-involved shootings. "There was a weapon recovered from the scene."
The Independent Police Review Authority is investigating the shooting.
The STNG Wire contributed to this report.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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