COPA Finds Chicago Officers Acted Reasonably in Deadly South Austin Shooting

Officers Cleared in 2024 South Austin Shooting

Two Chicago police officers involved in the deadly 2024 shooting of Tracey Watson in the South Austin neighborhood of Chicago were found to have acted reasonably, according to a report by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA).

The incident occurred in South Austin, where Chicago police officials say Watson was stabbing another man before officers intervened. According to the information cited in the COPA report, officers ordered Watson to drop his weapon prior to opening fire.

Sequence of Events During the Encounter

Chicago police officials stated that before the shooting, Tracey Watson was actively stabbing another man. Officers at the scene ordered Watson to drop a knife. COPA reports that Watson did not comply with those commands.

According to COPA, the officers then shot Watson after he refused to drop the knife. The report notes that the officers’ written accounts of the incident were consistent with available video footage of the shooting.

COPA Findings and Recommendations

In its review, COPA concluded that the two Chicago police officers acted reasonably during the deadly encounter in South Austin. The agency determined that the officers’ actions aligned with their reports and with video evidence of the incident.

While COPA found the use of force to be reasonable under the circumstances described, the agency also issued a recommendation for administrative discipline. COPA recommended that the officers be reprimanded for not activating their body-worn cameras earlier during the incident.

COPA’s findings address both the justification for the shooting of Tracey Watson and the officers’ compliance with department procedures regarding body camera use. The report concludes that the officers’ accounts matched video documentation, while also formally calling for a reprimand related to the timing of body camera activation.