Jury Convicts Chicago Cop Accused Of Excessive Force. Fired 16 Shots At Teens In Car

Not sure what it is about the Chicago Police and the number 16, but once again a cop  in the Windy City was facing charges of excessive force after firing his gun 16 times into a car filled with teens, wounding two. 

Marco Proano, CPD officer accused, claimed he was just doing his job when he fired 16 shots into a stolen car filled with teens on December 22, 2013. But a federal jury decided Monday that the shooting - captured on a police dashboard camera video - wasn't the action of a cop but a criminal.

The jury deliberated about four hours before convicting Proano of two felony counts of using excessive force in violating the victims' civil rights. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison on each count but likely will get far less because he has no prior criminal history.

Sentencing is set for Nov. 20. But federal prosecutors indicated they will seek next week to detain Proano as a danger to the community.

Proano is the first Chicago cop in memory to be convicted in federal court of criminal charges stemming from an on-duty shooting. He also was the first officer to go to trial in any shooting case since the court-ordered release of the Laquan McDonald shooting video in November 2015 sparked heated protests, political turmoil and promises of systemic change from Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

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Chicago Police, 16 Shots, Chicago, Marco Proano