FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 21, 2022
COPA RELEASES STATEMENT ON ONE-MEMBER REVIEW OF FATAL OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTING OF ANTHONY ALVAREZ
Today, the Chicago Police Board announced the one member’s opinion regarding the fatal officer-involved shooting of Anthony Alvarez on March 31, 2021, near 5200 W. Eddy Street, in favor of the Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, finding no fault in the use of deadly force by shooting Officer Evan Solano.
COPA, the civilian led agency tasked with investigating officer-involved shootings, Sustained the following allegations against Officer Solano as indicated in the Police Board one-member opinion:
- Failure to activate his body-worn camera in violation of Body Worn Camera Special Order (S03-14)
- Failure to properly load his firearm in violation of the Uniform and Property Directive (U04-02(II)(H))
- Discharged his firearm at or in the direction of Anthony Alvarez in violation of General Order G03-02
- Acted inconsistently with his training under Foot Pursuit Training Bulletin (ETB 18-01) when deciding to engage in a foot pursuit.
- Acted inconsistently with his training under Foot Pursuit Training Bulletin (ETB 18-01) when deciding to continue in a foot pursuit.
While finding the following allegations Exonerated and Unfounded, respectively:
- Detention and/or seizure of Anthony Alvarez without justification
- Failure to remain separate and avoid any contact or communication with Officer Encarnacion in violation of General Order G03-06(VII)(A)(2)
COPA firmly stands by our investigation, findings, and recommendation of discipline of Officers Evan Solano and Sammy Encarnacion in this incident.
Based on our investigation, COPA found that the preponderance of the evidence in this case shows that Mr. Alvarez was attempting to flee without the use of force and does not support that his actions were likely to cause death or great bodily harm.
COPA recognizes the risks Department members face when pursuing subjects who are holding firearms and that these circumstances require officers to make split-second decisions—in circumstances that are tense, uncertain, and rapidly evolving—about the amount of force that is necessary in a particular situation. Nonetheless, Department policy does not permit Department members to use deadly force on a subject who flees with a firearm absent an imminent threat, which Mr. Alvarez did not pose here.
“In our city and because of the long history of distrust in our systems of government, every incident that results in the death of someone at the hands of law enforcement should result in a full evidentiary hearing,” said COPA Chief Administrator Andrea Kersten. “This is not about winning or losing, but about facts, evidence and testimony being presented before the full Police Board before a final decision is determined. We respect the process but strongly disagree with the final decision put forward by the one-member review. We believe this case was deserving of a full evidentiary hearing before the entire Police Board and a review of the rules governing this process is warranted. Impacted parties and the residents of the city of Chicago deserve to have all the facts and evidence presented in a full, public hearing.”
The Summary Report of Investigation (SRI) which summarizes our findings and recommendations for discipline, will be released and posted on our website as soon as the involved officers are served with remaining discipline by the Department.
As Chicago’s civilian police oversight agency, COPA is obligated to demonstrate our commitment to objectivity, integrity, transparency, and swift action when responding to misconduct.
Media Contact:
Jennifer Rottner – Director of News Affairs
Ph: 312-720-8560 / Email: jennifer.rottner@chicagocopa.org