Video contradicts – A grainy video of Demond Edwards’ June 9 shooting in Country Club Hills has been ordered released by a federal magistrate judge, after it appeared to conflict with an FBI agent’s sworn account. The video played a central role in federal prosecutors dropping at
The grainy footage captures the moment the situation turns lethal in Country Club Hills on June 9: a man with a gun straddles another person, the second figure slides away through his legs, then collapses after the gunman points the weapon toward him.
What the video does not show is something a federal judge was told happened.
In a sworn affidavit submitted last week. an FBI special agent described the law enforcement officer who shot Markham teenager Demond Edwards. 18. saying “Edwards struck the law enforcement officer multiple times about his face and body with his fists.” In the footage ordered released Thursday. no punches appear—raising questions about what federal agents told the court when they sought to justify the shooting and the charges that followed.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Keri Holleb Hotaling ordered the video made public after federal prosecutors dropped charges tied to an attempted robbery of undercover law enforcement officers in the south suburb. Her order came over objections from federal prosecutors and the Bureau of Alcohol. Tobacco. Firearms. who argued releasing the clip would “jeopardize the independent investigation of the officer-involved shooting.” The judge still pushed it out Thursday after it “played a central role” in the decision this week to dismiss the case.
The judge dismissed the charges without prejudice, meaning new charges could still be filed.
In a statement Thursday night. Boutros’ office called the case “fluid and developing” and said “multiple investigations are ongoing and more facts will be forthcoming.” The statement added that “Our decision to dismiss the complaint … should not be read at all as a retreat of this case or the events giving rise to charges.”.
The shooting is under investigation, with multiple agencies working separately. Prosecutors and the ATF said it is being investigated by the Illinois State Police in conjunction with Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke’s office. and by Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability. The ATF and federal prosecutors had asked Hotaling not to release the video for the sake of the independent probe.
A COPA statement said the officer who opened fire was a Chicago police officer assisting the ATF.
Meanwhile. the FBI said the decision whether to seek criminal charges rests with prosecutors and that juries determine whether evidence meets the criminal standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt. “The FBI will continue our work to protect our communities and disrupt violent crime wherever it may occur. ” an FBI spokesperson said.
O’Neill Burke’s office, through a spokesperson, said its review is a “standard step” when a police shooting is investigated by a local or state agency. An Illinois State Police spokesperson said its investigation is ongoing and declined to comment further.
For Boutros’ office, Thursday’s courtroom developments landed with added friction. “But the video. and events surrounding it. have further strained the trust between Boutros’ office and federal judges in Chicago. ” the reporting describes—tied to when the prosecutor handling the matter saw the footage.
Hotaling heard testimony during a Thursday hearing that underscored the timing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke Fiedler told the judge: “As soon as I. counsel of record and the prosecuting attorney for this case. viewed that video. I immediately took steps to obtain approval to dismiss the complaint.” He added that “as soon as I saw it. it obviously called into question portions of the evidence that was sworn out. ” and “one thing is immediately clear. which is that this complaint needs to be dismissed in its entirety.”.
Defense attorneys argued the video also raised questions about whether the people charged were properly identified in other videos. Hotaling said she was initially confused when she was told the newly surfaced video depicted the shooting of Edwards.
The case also involved Amir Fagan and Chashonn Toney, who had been held in custody. After federal prosecutors moved to drop the charges, the judge ordered them released. Edwards has been in a hospital.
Hotaling’s concerns didn’t stop at the shooting narrative. During the hearing, she questioned the diligence behind the information presented to the court. She said she had questions for the FBI agent who swore to the facts supporting the charges. and she set a July 2 hearing to consider sanctions against the federal government.
“This court is very concerned that I cannot rely on the information that is provided to me either from the U.S. attorney’s office or from agents … when I’m swearing out an affidavit now, right?” Holleb Hotaling said.
The disclosure of the video—and the immediate impact it had on the case—has now made the court’s next steps sharply consequential, even as state and local investigations continue behind the scenes.
Country Club Hills Demond Edwards FBI affidavit undercover sting Keri Holleb Hotaling Luke Fiedler Amir Fagan Chashonn Toney COPA ATF Illinois State Police Eileen O'Neill Burke Chicago Civilian Office of Police Accountability