April 11, 2016 marked the fifth police-involved shooting  this year and the third fatal one. Pierre L. Loury, a 16 year old, was shot by a Chicago cop, after  a brief foot chase. Police said Loury was shot as he fled on foot from a car that officers had pulled over because it matched the description of a vehicle used in an earlier shooting.

Karen Winters, Pierre’s aunt, knew how easily boys are drawn to a life of violence in the Homan Square neighborhood. She still can’t understand how her 16-year-old nephew ended up shot to death after allegedly threatening a Chicago police officer with a gun during a brief foot chase .

An autopsy showed the teen suffered a gunshot wound to the chest.

Citing a preliminary investigation, First Deputy Superintendent John Escalante said the lone officer who chased the teen opened fire after the teen turned and pointed a gun at him. A semi-automatic weapon was recovered at the scene, Escalante said.

“They shot him in the air. His pants leg got caught on the fence and he hit the ground. If he hadn’t gotten shot, he would have cleared the fence,” said one of the witnesses.

Escalante said Loury had “prior contact” with police and that they considered him a documented gang member.

“I think Pierre didn’t deserve to die the way he did, I mean no one deserves to die, but eventually we all will,” said senior Rickie Ghoston.

Escalante also said the officer involved in the shooting would be placed on paid desk duty for at least 30 days — a new department policy after an officer fatally shot a college student wielding a baseball bat on the day after Christmas and accidentally shot and killed a 55-year-old neighbor.