Oak Park officials released a video June 30 that captured multiple different video perspectives on the struggle between an Oak Park police officer and a motorist the night of May 31 that ended with the motorist being fatally shot.
The deadly incident at the Shell gas station at Austin and Harrison ended after an intense struggle between the officer and Christian Wallace, and repeated warnings from the officer to Wallace to not reach for the gun he was carrying.
The first fatal shooting by an Oak Park officer since 1988 is being investigated by the Illinois State Police Public Integrity Task Force. When it concludes, it will be submitted to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, which will conduct its own review before making any decision on whether to file any charges against the officer.
The still-unnamed officer remains on medical leave due to an injury sustained during the struggle, which lasted approximately 70 seconds.
The officer pulled Wallace, a Chicagoan, over at 9:10 p.m. for failing to signal a lane change as he drove south on Austin Boulevard and for not signaling a right turn into the gas station further than 100 feet from the station.
The village released a 29-minute prepared video compilation that starts with Oak Park Chief Latonya Johnson. In the video Johnson expresses concern for all involved and says that body cam video is just one type of evidence in cases such as this.
The released tape included bodycam video from three Oak Park officers, dash cam video from the squad car of the officer who made the stop, and security camera video from two angles at the gas station.
The video is not definitive. Images from the officer’s body cam are blurred during the struggle with Wallace as his body cam may have been dislodged during the struggle, the dash cam video is from a distance and the gun Wallace is alleged to have been carrying cannot be seen. It cannot be seen if he still had a gun when he was shot. The dashboard camera from the first officer’s vehicle shows the struggle more clearly, including showing the two men wrestling on the ground, and the officer later drawing his weapon and firing.
After the shooting, the officer told a fellow officer that his body camera had fallen off during the struggle.
A review of the videos shows a relatively calm first three minutes of the encounter.
“What’re you doing,” Wallace is heard asking the officer as he stands by the driver door.
“I’m doing my job, bro,” the officer replied.
“I didn’t do nothing wrong,” Wallace said at one point. He provided the officer with his license and insurance.
“No bullshit, I’m cool,” Wallace said.
“I smelled booze,” the officer told him. Wallace told him he’d just come from a friend’s place and showed him a plastic cup.
“I’m not worried about a little bit of drink in that cup,” the officer said. He again informed Wallace that he didn’t signal a lane change and didn’t signal within 100 feet before a right turn.
“Can I use the bathroom?” Wallace asked. When the officer told him not now, Wallace asked why and was told “because this is a traffic stop.”
Wallace exited the vehicle when the officer directed him to and turned around to be patted down.
“No weapons on you,” the officer asked. “No,” Wallace answered.
Wallace, who initially had his arms raised and hands at shoulder height, then lowered his hands and reached toward his waist. The officer, standing behind Wallace, reached around to Wallace’s front waist area.
“What are you doing,” Wallace asked.
“Do not reach,” the officer told him, repeating it three times in a row. Then, “Do not reach or you’re gonna get shot. Do not reach for that gun.”
Wallace then pulled away to his right, with the officer holding tight to his waist as they banged off a gas pump and careened several feet over to the pump station near the squad car. “Do not reach. Do not reach,” the officer told Wallace as he struggled to control him.
As Wallace gained his feet, the officer leaned into him and threw him to the pavement, saying again, “Do not reach! Do not reach!”
Wallace struggled to stand up and the officer brought him down again. But Wallace rose back up.
“Do not reach or you’ll get shot,” he commanded again. “Do not reach,” as he used his body weight to again take Wallace to the pavement.
Yet again Wallace started to his feet, and the officer commanded “Do not reach” and threw him down. As Wallace appeared to momentarily break free, the officer grabbed his arm and swung him into the gas pump, saying, “Do not reach for that gun!”
Appearing to finally gain control, the officer said, “Do not reach for that f—–’ gun” and looked like he was trying to hand cuff Wallace. “Do not reach for that f—–’s gun or you’re going to get shot. You hear me? Hear me? It’s not worth it.”
The officer followed Wallace as he apparently wriggled on the pavement out of the dash cams visual, below the squad’s hood.
“David, step it up, he’s got a gun,” the officer said into his radio as he called for backup. After around five seconds of silence, the officer appears to be lifting Wallace to his feet, when Wallace jerked up and twisted around, breaking the officer’s hold on him.
Wallace moves several feet over toward his own vehicle, and a “click click” can be heard, as if something is hitting the concrete. “David! Step it up,” the officer calls out again, as Wallace reaches down to the concrete.
The officer then reached for his own gun, and as Wallace straightens up the officer appears to reach out briefly to him as Wallace looks at him from a couple feet away.
What sounded like “You’re gonna get shot,” was followed a second later by five shots in quick succession, as Wallace turns away after the first gunshot.
Wallace ran west from the officer as two more shots are fired. He then cut left toward Austin Boulevard as the last two shots sound.
The village had previously said that Wallace was shot four times. Those wounds were reportedly to his right flank, right forearm, right wrist and to his head. Two responding officers are seen providing CPR to Wallace before an ambulance arrives. Wallace was pronounced dead at 9:59 at Loyola Hospital in Maywood. A firearm with a defaced serial number was reportedly recovered at the scene.