An Illinois prosecutor announced Monday that she will not file criminal charges against a police officer who shot and killed 25-year-old Ronald Johnson III just weeks before another black man, Laquan McDonald, was fatally shot 16 times.
Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez called Officer George Hernandez's actions "reasonable and permissible," because the dashcam video — recorded from one of the police cars at the scene — shows Johnson running toward another police vehicle with a gun in his hand.
On the night Johnson was killed, he was in a car with three friends when the vehicle was shot at by an unknown gunman, Alvarez said at Monday's press conference. No one in the car was struck by a bullet.
When officers arrived to the scene after multiple 911 calls about gunshots, Johnson resisted arrest and fled on foot toward a public park, she said.
That is when Hernandez arrived in an unmarked police vehicle and exited the car with his gun drawn. He fired five shots, striking Johnson twice. The fatal shot struck Johnson in his shoulder and exited his eye socket.
Referring to the fact the police officer shot Johnson in the back, Alvarez cited a previous case in which a man was able to turn around and shoot an officer as he fled on foot.
"He could have easily turned around and fired as he ran," she said of Johnson.
The Cook County State's Attorney's office released the full video of the police pursuit of Johnson. Watch:
The Cook County State's Attorney's office also released a slow-motion clip showing the 30 seconds just prior to Johnson being shot. Watch:
Alvarez said that once Johnson's weapon was recovered, officers found that it was loaded with 12 rounds and was also connected to an unresolved 2013 shooting. The state's attorney also added that another individual, who had been in a car with Johnson that night, confirmed Johnson had a gun on him.
Attorney Michael Oppenheimer, who represents Johnson's mother, Dorothy Holmes, has suggested that officers planted the gun on Johnson's body after the police shooting, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Alvarez's announcement to not file charges comes just weeks after she charged Officer Jason Van Dyke with murder for the October 2014 shooting of McDonald. The video of that shooting, which shows Van Dyke firing his gun 16 times, sparked multiple demonstrations in downtown Chicago. Mayor Rahm Emanuel ousted Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy over his handling of the case.
Monday's announcement coincided with an announcement from the Department of Justice of a federal civil rights investigation into the policies and practices of the Chicago police department.
Amid allegations from protesters about a cover-up of the McDonald case, Alvarez said she has nothing to hide.
"I've pretty much opened the door for you to see our entire analysis," she said at the press conference. "I have a tough job. I have the hardest job in this country...No matter what decision I make, someone is not going to be happy, but I run this office with integrity and professionalism."