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Despite scrutiny, Chicago cops shot fewer people in 2015

Posted at 5:47 PM, Jan 02, 2016
and last updated 2016-01-02 17:47:35-05

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago police shot fewer people in 2015 than recent years despite police-involved shootings that have drawn national headlines.

The Chicago Tribune reports officers shot 22 people last year, eight of them fatally. That’s a 40 percent dip in the total number compared with 2014 when 37 people were shot and 16 killed.

The number of people shot by Chicago police officers has gradually dropped since 2011 when officers shot 56 people, 24 fatally. In 2012, Chicago cops shot 45 people, killing 12. In 2013, officers shot 35 people, killing 14.

Interim Superintendent John Escalante tells The Tribune the drop is attributed to better training and supervision.

His comments come as scrutiny mounts over the 2014 shooting death of teenager Laquan McDonald. Officer Jason Van Dyke is charged with murder.