Off-duty Chicago cop warns alleged thief she’ll ‘kill’ him before fatal shooting: footage

An off-duty Chicago cop warned a potential robber she’d kill him, and then followed through on that pledge when she fired three shots at the man, footage from the wild scene showed.

The police officer issued the threat on Jan. 17 after the suspect appeared to grab her gun minutes after she broke up a fight between four people – including the alleged thief, officials said.

As the two wrestled and fell to the ground, the handgun went off and hit 39-year-old Leevon Smith, according to the Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA).

“I’ll kill you,” she told Smith before the shots rang out.

After the first two shots go off, Smith says, “you got me, you got me,” according to audio and video of the incident released by the accountability office.

The off-duty officer then said, “I told your dumb— I’d kill you,” as she fired the third and final shot.

“Damn baby, I’m sorry,” a wounded Smith replied, adding moments later. “I don’t want to die.”

Afterward the officer yelled out for someone to call the police as she continued to admonish Smith for attempting to take her gun, the footage showed.

“You thought I was playing, I told you I’d shoot you,” the officer said. 

“I told your dumb— I’d shoot you,” the unnamed cop also additionally said. “You tried to steal my f—ing gun.”

The footage and audio are not synced, COPA said.

Smith was taken to the hospital where he died two days later, CBS Chicago reported. Police said in January the officer was placed on routine 30-day administrative duty.

A tactical report indicates Chicago police determined the suspect tried to grab the off-duty officer’s weapon and was an imminent threat to her. The officer suffered a cut above her right eye, according to the police arrest report.

The officer was one of several people to call 911 after the shooting, telling the dispatch she was robbed and that she shot a man.

“Oh my god, he just tried to rob me,” the shaken officer said on the call.

She said she tried to call her bosses, but no one was answering her calls.

“He just tried to steal my off-duty gun,” she told first responders on the scene.

Advertisement

The officer joined the force last June, The Chicago Sun Times reported.

She has not been charged in the shooting, though Smith’s family is suing the city and officer over the fatal encounter for $10 million, the newspaper reported.  

Smith was reportedly charged by prosecutors with attempted robbery and aggravated battery, according to the arrest report before his death.