Video to be released today depicts the moments when Officer José Salazar shot 20-year-old Roberto Calvario in the back of the head. The family’s attorneys say a civil rights lawsuit is forthcoming.
CHICAGO — On the evening of December 9, while allegedly investigating a possibly stolen car, Officer José Salazar of the Chicago Police Department (CPD) shot and killed 20-year-old Roberto Calvario, Jr. in the West Ridge neighborhood of Chicago.
Shortly after the shooting, Roberto’s family called for a full and fair investigation into his death. Today, more than a month later, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA)—which is charged with providing civilian oversight of the CPD and investigating possible misconduct—is releasing the bodycam footage from that tragic shooting.
Earlier, Roberto’s family and their attorneys were shown that footage for the first time, and watched in horror as Officer Salazar attempted to manhandle Roberto, who was sitting in a car, before Salazar shot Roberto in the back of the head. The video contradicts the narrative provided by CPD after the shooting, claiming the officer shot Roberto because he was being dragged by the car. According to the family’s attorneys, the video shows that the vehicle did not move until after Roberto was shot in the head, showing that the officers’ actions—not Roberto’s—posed a threat to the community.
“They didn’t have to kill my son,” Roberto’s mother, Awilda Ramirez, said. “I want to ask that man why. I want to know why he shot my boy for nothing.”
“No mother should ever have to watch a video like that,” says attorney Maggie Filler of Loevy + Loevy. “And her immeasurable pain is magnified by knowing that her son died for no reason. The video shows that this family should still have their son and brother with them. We can’t bring him back for them, but we are determined to pursue justice on his behalf.”
According to the family’s attorneys, the video confirms there was no lawful justification for the shooting, as Roberto had done nothing threatening to the officers.
“Police are not permitted to summarily execute people on our streets,” says attorney David B. Owens of Loevy + Loevy and Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Washington School of Law. “This was an egregious, unnecessary, and unlawful shooting by a CPD officer. Unfortunately, despite more than a month having gone by, there has been no accountability within CPD or the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, and the officer has not even been required provide a statement to COPA. But that is going to change: we will see that officer, and the City of Chicago, in court.”
The Calvario family has requested that members of the media respect their privacy in this difficult time. All media inquiries and other requests should be directed to Loevy + Loevy using the contact information below.
###
Contact:
Michael McDunnah, Dir. of Communications, 312.371.5871, mcdunnah@loevy.com