Officer Marco Proano faces two federal civil rights charges after being indicted for shooting at Black teenagers in a car.
Reuters reports that Proano, who was captured by a dashboard camera shooting into a car full of Black teenagers in 2013, was charged with two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law.
Proano’s lawyer has yet to comment, but U.S. Attorney Zachary Fardon said in a statement, “When a police officer uses unreasonable force, it has a harmful effect on not only the victims, but also the public, who lose faith and confidence in law enforcement…Our office will continue to independently and vigorously pursue civil rights prosecutions to hold officers accountable and strengthen trust in the police.”
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The tape of the shooting was first made public by the Chicago Reporter magazine. The Fraternal Order of Police told the Chicago Tribune that officers stopped the car because they believed it was stolen and that Proano fired out of concern for a passenger who was being dragged by the vehicle as the car was backing away from him.
Mothers of three of the teens have settled with the city for $360,000. Proano’s arraignment is set for Sept. 22. He has been released on $10,000 bond.