On the same day that hundreds of protesters marched through downtown Chicago demanding justice for Paul O’Neal, Lady Gaga weighed in on the killing of the 18 year old in a tweet supporting Black Lives Matter on Sunday. “Paul O’Neal. #BlackLivesMatter. How many children must we lose b4 our justice system does something?” she wrote alongside a picture of a march in memory of O’Neal.
Paul O’neal. #BlackLivesMatter How many children must we lose b4 our justice system does something? #Chicago #USA pic.twitter.com/DvvAxMJSeI
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) August 7, 2016
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O’Neal was shot and killed by Chicago police on July 28 after a stolen Jaguar he was riding in crashed into a squad car and O’Neal fled the scene. The video of the incident was finally released on Friday and it shows officers firing off more than a dozen rounds at the car and then chasing O’Neal with more shots fired. As reported by CNN, a officer is heard shouting at O’Neal, “you shot at us, motherf—er!”, though police later said the teen was unarmed.
O’Neal is seen being handcuffed face down on the ground, his arms appearing limp behind his back and his shirt covered in blood as one officer holds down his head. There is no footage of the shooting, because, according to police, the body camera on the officer who fired the shot didn’t record the moment. O’Neal’s family filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the three officers involved on Friday, claiming that they fired on O’Neal without “lawful justification or excuse”; the three officers have been relieved of their duties.