More than a year after Chicago police shot a man they say was armed with a knife near a River North hotel, the city's police oversight agency has released body-camera footage, radio transmissions and tactical records from the encounter. The Civilian Office of Police Accountability updated its public case page on Wednesday with the materials, following the expiration of a court order that had kept them sealed for months.
The shooting happened near 30 E. Hubbard St. on April 7, 2025, according to COPA, which said officers encountered a man known to have an outstanding warrant and later saw that he was armed with a knife. The man fled, and as reported by FOX 32 Chicago, officers chased him into a nearby business before the confrontation escalated.
COPA said officers pursued the man and attempted to de-escalate the situation, deploying Tasers and issuing verbal commands as he allegedly ignored them. The man then allegedly turned toward officers while still holding the knife, at which point two officers discharged their weapons and struck him, the agency said. He was taken to a hospital in critical condition, while two officers were taken to a hospital for observation. A knife was recovered at the scene, per the agency's account.
Charges Filed Against Demond Williams
Demond Williams, 46, of Chicago was identified as the man shot by officers. According to the same CPD records cited by FOX 32, Williams has prior arrests dating back to 2014 that include criminal trespass, theft, retail theft, possession of a controlled substance and criminal damage to property. He was charged with three counts of aggravated assault of a peace officer, firefighter or emergency worker, two counts of felon in possession of a weapon, and one count of possession of a weapon by a person with a prior forcible felony conviction, the station reported. A separate account from ABC7 Chicago described the charges more broadly as aggravated assault on a peace officer and unlawful use of a weapon, and noted that COPA was investigating the shooting.
Why the Footage Took So Long to Surface
The delay in releasing the video traces back to a court order entered on May 29, 2025, which barred COPA from releasing materials connected to the shooting. That order is no longer in effect, and the agency released the video and other records once it expired, according to the case page maintained by COPA. Along with body-worn camera video, the release includes third-party video, footage from police observation devices, radio transmissions, foot-pursuit records, arrest records and case reports. COPA also released seven tactical response reports and three foot-pursuit reports tied to the incident.
A Broader Pattern of Police Shootings
The Hubbard Street shooting fits into a wider trend documented across the city. Chicago police officers shot 12 people and killed six during the first five months of 2025, matching the total number of people shot and killed by officers during all of 2024, according to data reported by WTTW News. Six of those shootings occurred in May 2025 alone, including two fatalities, the outlet reported, even as homicides fell 28% and shootings dropped 35% citywide during the same five-month stretch compared with 2024.
The same WTTW analysis found that four of the shootings during that period involved individuals police said were armed with knives, two of them fatal, and that officers fired after deploying Tasers in two separate incidents. A consent-decree monitoring team also flagged a 47% increase in police use-of-force reports between 2023 and 2024, the outlet noted, as officials continue to scrutinize how Chicago police respond to armed encounters.
COPA's investigation into the officers' use of force in the Hubbard Street case remains ongoing. The agency said anyone with information or video related to the shooting can submit it through its website, and the public can reach COPA directly at 312-746-3609.
