For many people in the country, New Year’s Eve is a time of reflection, celebration and hope for the future. Many people think of their successes from the past year and plan for future success. While some people spend the evening with friends and family bringing in yet another year, others spend a quiet evening to themselves. Unfortunately, for one man in the Chicago area, what police officers claim was a celebration for the arrival of 2014 resulted in his hospitalization and arrest on a felony charge.
Police claim that soon after midnight, they heard shots being fired, allegedly as part of an overzealous celebration. Police claim that when they went to investigate the gunshots, they approached a man with a gun in an alley. According to their reports, the man pointed a gun at them, prompting one of the officers to shoot the man in his leg.
He was treated for his wounds at an area hospital and has now been charged with aggravated assault and the illegal use a weapon as a felon. He is currently being held on $250,000 bond. As is standard procedure for police shootings, the incident is currently under investigation.
When dealing with criminal charges in this country, it is important to remember that every suspect is considered innocent until — and only if — proven otherwise. Prosecutors in Chicago will have to provide enough evidence to prove that the man is guilty of the felony charge beyond a reasonable doubt, a purposefully high standard to prevent sending innocent people to jail. At this point, only the officer’s version of events have been reported.
Source: CBS Chicago, Man Charged With Pointing Gun At Cops On New Year’s, No author, Jan. 2, 2014