Already facing termination proceedings, one of the Chicago police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Anthony Alvarez has resigned, the same day the city’s police oversight agency completed its third separate investigation into his conduct.
Officer Sammy Encarnacion resigned Wednesday, according to the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, which on Tuesday made public the report of its third investigation into Encarnacion. Attorneys for Encarnacion did not respond to request for comment.
Encarnacion is the officer who began the chase that ended in the fatal shooting of Alvarez in March 2021, which sparked protest and in part prompted the Chicago Police Department to overhaul its foot pursuit policy.
For that incident, COPA recommended Encarnacion be disciplined up to and including termination. Then-Supt. David Brown disagreed, sending the decision to a one-member review by the Chicago Police Board, which ruled in July 2022 for a 20-day suspension for Encarnacion and his partner Officer Evan Solano.
Just nine days after the Police Board’s one-member review, Encarnacion opened fire in another chase. COPA’s report made public on Tuesday reveals that the agency again recommended he be fired.
COPA said Encarnacion opened fire in the direction of a person running from a crash, who he later admitted “posed no imminent threat,” the agency’s report reads. The report says Encarnacion’s “decision to use deadly force against a fleeing person violated CPD policy, was objectively unreasonable, unnecessary, and not proportional,” noting that his partner was “dangerously close” to Encarnacion’s line of fire.
COPA called his misconduct “of the most egregious nature,” recommending his separation from the department. That recommendation came last week. But the city had already moved to fire Encarnacion two weeks prior, following yet another years-long COPA investigation, this one unrelated to either pursuit.
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That investigation began in November 2017, when Encarnacion’s girlfriend went to police to report allegations of a violent altercation. In May 2022, four-and-a-half years later, COPA recommended Encarnacion be fired for misconduct including physical and verbal abuse, excessive drinking and mishandling his gun.
That time, Brown agreed, and the city filed charges with the Police Board to begin termination proceedings on April 10. Just over two weeks later, COPA concluded its investigation into the second pursuit, records show. Encarnacion resigned the same day.
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