Chicago Cop Guilty of Using Excessive Force When Firing 16 Shots at Teens in Nearby Roseland

SOUTH SIDE, CHICAGO, IL — A Chicago police officer was convicted by a federal jury this week of using unreseaonable force during a South Side incident in which he pumped 16 rounds into a stolen car filled with six teenagers.

Marco Proano wounded two of the teens, according to the U.S. attorney's office, and was found guilty Monday on two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law stemming from the incident. Each count could carry a prison sentence of up to 10 years, and Proano will find out his punishment at a Nov. 20 hearing, the attorney's office said in a statement released Monday.

The convictions stem from a December 2013 shooting when Proano, now 42, fired on a stolen car with six black teens inside at 95th Street and LaSalle Avenue in the Roseland neighborhood. One teen was shot in the shoulder while a bullet grazed his head, and another was wounded in the left hip and right heel.

The jury returned its verdict Monday, Aug. 28, after a weeklong trial that saw proseuctors argue that Proano did not follow procedure in the situation and acted like "a cowboy," the Chicago Tribune reports. Video from a dashboard camera of the shooting shows Proano — who was responding to a fellow officer's call after the teens in the car wouldn't obey commands — holding his gun sideways with one hand before emptying the magazine of his service weapon into the stolen Toyota in about nine seconds as it backed away into a light pole. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for Chicago — or your neighborhood. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

"He pulled his gun out, held it to one side and aimed it at those kids to send a message and to show who was in charge," Assistant U.S. Attorney Erika Csicsila said in court Monday.

But Proano's lawyer, Daniel Herbert contended that Proano followed his training and was making an effort to protect life, not take it, the Tribune reports. The attorney also argued that officials were second guessing Proano's actions without understanding what's it like to be in such a dangerous situation, the report added.

"[Government officials] made that decision [to charge Proano] sitting at their desks, eating popcorn and watching the video, not out on the street like Officer Proano," Herbert said.

WATCH: Dashboard camera video from the 2013 shooting:

Proano would not answer questions as he left the courthouse Monday, the Tribune reports. Herbet also declined to discuss the verdict, the report added.

The 11-year Chicago police veteran had his police powers stripped, was forced to turn in his service weapon and his state firearm's owner ID card and has been on unpaid leave since being charged in September of 2016. The Chicago Police Department still would like to fire Proano, the Tribune reports.

Hower, the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police was disappointed with Monday's decision. In a statement, FOP President Kevin Graham said:

"It seems that the criminal elements in our society are not accountable in our justice system, while the police face an intense scrutiny for every split-second decision they make."

More via the Chicago Tribune

Screen shot from a 2013 dashboard camera video showing Chicago police Officer Martin Proano firing on a stolen car filled with teenagers. (Image via screen shot from YouTube video)

- By Joe Vince (Patch Staff)