An off-duty police officer was riding his motorcycle down First Avenue in the Maywood section of Chicago Saturday night when he crashed into a 4-year-old girl who was trying to cross the road with her older cousin. The 43-year-old officer then shot and killed her father in an altercation that followed, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Taniyah Middleton and her 18-year-old cousin were crossing First Avenue at the same time an unnamed off-duty officer was riding his motorcycle on that road. Approaching the pair, the officer allegedly did not see them until it was too late, and in an effort to avoid them, jumped off his motorcycle. The motorcycle then skidded into the little girl.
Hearing all the commotion, the girl’s father, 26-year-old Christopher Middleton, ran outside their home. Immediately after he realized what happened, Middleton allegedly started attacking the officer, and at some point during the confrontation, the officer was able to reach for his gun and shot the girl’s father in the groin.
Christopher Middleton was pronounced dead at the hospital, while his daughter is being treated for her injuries.
A relative told local Chicago station WLS, “Her face was skinned…she’s in a lot of pain right now.”
Authorities say that the 8-year police veteran reportedly identified himself as a cop immediately following the crash, but according to WLS, that is in dispute.
Case of Off-Duty Cop Who Shot Enraged Father Gets More Complicated
I wrote about a tragic situation involving an off-duty police officer who was riding his motorcycle, accidentally hit a little girl who had darted into the road, was attacked by the little girl's family, and ended up shooting the girl's father, killing him.
The situation is a tragedy every which way you turn. The officer must feel terrible. The father lost his life. And now the 18-year-old man who joined the little girl's father in the altercation, John Passley of Bellwood, Illinois, has been arrested and charged with aggravated assault of a police officer.
This is one situation, based on the many comments (and emails) I've gotten, that clearly has touched a nerve.
It all started when 4-year-old Taniyah Middleton apparently ran into the road and a police officer (who hasn't been named in any of the news stories I've seen) reportedly tried to avoid her by ditching his bike. He and the girl were injured, but not seriously. At this point, reports say that Taniyah's father, Christopher Middleton, ran out of a nearby restaurant and began punching the bike's driver. Cousin John Passley joined in.
At some point, the officer drew his gun and shot Middleton, killing him. The only version of events we've heard so far is from the spokesman of the Fraternal Order of Police, who says that the officer shot in self-defense.
Fair enough. Yet, in my earlier post, when I asked whether or not the officer could have fired into the air or into Middleton's leg, one reader emailed me to say that she hoped I drive home drunk from a "mommy blogger party" and hit someone. I understand being passionate, but really?
I chose to ask questions. I also asked, "Why was the little girl in the road?" I get that cops are trained to shoot to kill, but they are also trained to do a lot of other things to defuse a situation. Maybe the officer couldn't do any of those things. I don't know. I wasn't there -- but these are the kind of questions we should be asking.
Did I ask a dumb question? Maybe. But considering the post was all about letting cool heads prevail, even under incredibly stressful situations like this one, what I got in return was anything but cool heads.
My point in all of this, which was clearly stated in the first post -- angry words and fists do not solve anything. No one wins here.
Family disputes police report in case of father shot by off-duty cop by Carrie Healey | August 15, 2012 at 9:49 AM
Christopher Middleton and his daughter Taniyah.
Conflicting reports of what happened after a tragic motorcycle crash involving a 4-year-old girl, Taniyah Middleton, are coming to light. An off-duty officer was riding his motorcycle down First Avenue in Maywood Saturday night around 10 pm. When the officer saw a girl in the street, he jumped off his bike in an effort to avoid her, but his motorcycle hit Taniyah and the cousin she was walking with.
Authorities said Christopher Middleton, the little girl’s 26-year-old father, approached the scene in a rage. According to the Chicago Tribune, Pat Camden, Fraternal Order of Police spokesman, said the officer immediately identified himself, and told Middleton to calm down. To which Middleton allegedly responded with “I don’t give a f**k,” and punched the officer in the face.
theGrio: Father killed by off-duty cop who ran over his daughter
Maywood village spokesman Larry Shapiro claims that the girl’s 18-year-old cousin, John Passley, of Bellwood, also joined in the attack of the officer by kicking him. The officer felt he was near losing consciousness when he removed his weapon and fired once, said Shapiro.
Camden stated, “Had the father simply stood there instead of attacking a police officer he might be alive today.”
However, Middleton’s family and friends say the officer never identified himself as a cop before firing. Tanya Jones, Middleton’s fiancee and Taniyah’s mother, told to the Tribune that she approached the scene after the fight had already broke out. She saw both men trying to get off the ground, when Middleton was shot. “Chris asked him, ‘Why did you shoot me, why did you shoot me,’ ” Jones said.
“I saw him take his last breath. He was a father trying to protect his daughter. He was never a violent person,” Jones added. Jones and Middleton also have a 6-year-old son together, and Jones is pregnant with their third child, a girl.
Middleton, the officer, and Taniyah were all taken to Loyola Hospital. A spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner’s office said Middleton was pronounced dead just before 10:30pm. Both the officer and the child were treated overnight at the hospital for abrasions and contusions.
Police can shoot whoever they want. It's always justified. The life of a government agent is more valuble than the pesants they supposedly serve. Those are the rules.
If he was the neighborhood watchman and was not a cop then he is a murderer. If he is a cop then he is a hero
"While Foreign Terrorists were plotting to murder and maim using homemade bombs in Boston, Democrap officials in Washington DC, Albany and here were busy watching ME and other law abiding American Citizens who are gun owners and taxpayers, in an effort to blame the nation's lack of security on US so that they could have a political scapegoat."
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