What really happened in Joshua Beal’s final moments is up for debate between Chicago police and his family. The 25-year-old father of two died on Saturday after being shot multiple times by a police sergeant. Investigators say the shooting stemmed from a verbal confrontation turned fight involving Beal, an off-duty firefighter and an off-duty police officer. Beal’s family says he was in Chicago from Indianapolis to serve as a pallbearer for his cousin’s funeral.
The witness accounts leading up to Beal’s killing differ drastically between police officers and Beal’s relatives who were present.
According to the The Chicago Tribune, Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said that the off-duty firefighter approached Beal to notify him that he was illegally blocking the fire lane when three people got out of their cars and began arguing the firefighter. As the argument escalated several witnesses heard the noise including a woman inside of a nearby business who called the police before getting involved. An off-duty Chicago police officer, who also overheard the noise from inside a nearby barbershop, identified himself and became involved as well.
According to police, Beal had a gun in hand when a uniformed sergeant came upon the scene and asked him to drop it.
“There’s a sergeant on his way to work. He now sees a man with a gun in his hand. He gets out, announces his office in full uniform,’’ Guglielmi said.
Police say Beal was shot after refusing orders to drop his weapon when confronted by the sergeant. His family offered a different account.
According to The Chicago Tribune, Beal’s family say he was driving in line with several other cars to a nearby chapel following the funeral when someone driving erratically cut off his sister, Cordney Boxley. She said her 17-year-old sister was driving the car in front of her with a female cousin on the passenger side when the driver tried to run them off the road. After that, Boxley said the driver, who she believed to be a Chicago police officer exited his car as did several men in her family. As the confrontation escalated Boxley said at one point, the man pushed her female cousin on the ground, pulled a gun and pointed it at her face. From there Boxley said the man returned to his car got out again and “he just started shooting”. She says Beal, a registered owner, pulled his gun out when he saw the gun pointed at his cousin, but never fired it.
Beals mother, Tiffaney Boxley told reporters, “Chicago police gunned my baby down like a vicious animal.”
This video illustrates the moments leading up to Beal’s death.Warning, this video contains images some viewers may find disturbing.
The Independent Police Review Authority is investigating.
#JoshuaBeal began trending heavily on social media.
Police then blocked off the scene and left the family boxed in a parking lot.
— Damon Williams (@Damon_AF) November 6, 2016
White Trump supporting looking people from the neighborhood came out and starting antagonizing the family and ppl who showed up to support
— Damon Williams (@Damon_AF) November 6, 2016
It's important to remember that this family was already grieving because Joshua was killed during a FUNERAL procession.
— Damon Williams (@Damon_AF) November 6, 2016
Cars drove by with black American flags with blue stripes screaming, 'Fuck you niggers' out the window.
— Damon Williams (@Damon_AF) November 6, 2016
An officer showed up to the scene of #JoshuaBeal 's execution wearing a hoody that had 'Chicago Police' printed on a grim reaper pic.twitter.com/Zf6FQeyctP
— Damon Williams (@Damon_AF) November 6, 2016
Protesters gathered on Sunday near the area where Beal was shot and were met with resistance by opposing groups.
The Independent Police Review Authority is investigating. The family intends to seek legal counsel regarding the next steps in this case.
“The police are going to pay for this,” said Miranda Macklin, a relative of Beal in an interview with The Chicago Tribune. “Justice will be served.”
