Harith Augustus shot dead by cops who were forced to reveal their body cam footage

THE death of a black man shot dead by police in Chicago set off violent protests and prompted police to release body-cam footage of the incident in an appeal for calm.

Harith Augustus, 37, was shot dead on Saturday not far from his home on the city’s South Side sparking a clash between angry residents and officers.

Police say four people were arrested and some officers suffered minor injuries from being pelted with rocks and bottles, including some filled with urine.

Video released from an officer’s body-worn camera shows Augustus had a gun in a holster at his hip and was running away and reaching toward his waist when he was shot multiple times.

The 30-second clip shows four officers approaching Augustus outside a store. An officer points to Augustus’ waist and he backs away.

Three officers then try to grab his arms and he tries to get away, backing into a police cruiser as his shirt flies up and shows the gun. The footage pauses and zooms in on the weapon.

He then runs away and into the street as a police SUV drives up. He spins and darts between the SUV and the police cruiser as he reaches toward his waist.

Chicago’s police superintendent Eddie Johnson said he ordered the release of body camera footage quickly to address any misinformation and maintain calm in the city.

Supt Johnson said it was the fastest he’s ever ordered body-worn camera video released.

He said there’s no question that Augustus was armed when officers encountered him.

Augustus was stopped when an officer noticed a gun in a holster peeking out from under the man’s T-shirt, Supt Johnson said.

He said the handgun was a semiautomatic but he was not sure what caliber.

Medical examiners said an autopsy showed Augustus died of multiple gunshot wounds.

Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi also said that officers found two magazines of bullets along with a gun at the site of the shooting. He said the gun and the magazines have been sent for testing.

Guglielmi said Augustus wasn’t a known gang member and didn’t have a recent arrest history.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson called the shooting a tragedy and saids in a statement that it’s a blessing Augustus didn’t bring his five-year-old daughter with him to work at a barbershop on Saturday, as he’s known to do.

Chicago has a troubled history of police shootings. The civil rights leader called for the video to be released of Saturday’s shooting and referenced footage showing a white officer shooting black 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times in 2014.