Two Chicago police officers involved in the shooting of a man who was walking between train cars at a subway station have been stripped of their police powers, the department said.
Charlie Beck, acting superintendent of the Chicago Police Department, announced the decision Wednesday following a recommendation by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability.
"As a result of the Superintendent's review of the incident, both of the involved officers have been relieved of their police powers pending the outcome of the external reviews into this matter," the department said in a statement.
The move means the officers, who were originally placed on desk duty following Friday's shooting, would have to turn in their weapons and would lose their power to make arrests, according to the The Associated Press.
Ariel Roman, 33, was shot twice by an officer shortly after 4 p.m. on Friday at a subway station in the River North neighborhood. He was hospitalized in stable condition after undergoing surgery, police said in a statement the day of the shooting.
Two officers assigned to the mass-transit unit approached Roman after they saw him moving between two train cars, which is a violation of city ordinance, Chicago police said.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the officers chased Roman from the train onto the platform.
"A struggle ensued at the Grand Red Line station as they attempted to place the subject into custody," the police department said in its statement. "Both officers deployed their Tasers. At some point during the incident, one of the officers discharged their weapon, striking the subject twice."
Witnesses recorded videos of the incident and posted them on Twitter. In one video, two officers appear to be struggling with Roman before they wrestle him to the ground. A second video appears to show the officers holding Roman on the floor as one of the officers yells for Roman to "stop resisting."
"I didn't do nothing to you," Roman says multiple times as he struggles with the officers.
At one point in the footage, one officer appears to yell for the other to "shoot him."
"No, no, no," Roman says.
One of the officers appears to pepper-spray Roman in the face as the other again yells for him to stop resisting arrest.
As the struggle ensues, Roman stands as one of the officers yells again for the other to "shoot him." The other officer then appears to pull out a gun and screams, "Sir, put your f---ing hands down. Give him your hands."
Roman covers his face with his hands and appears to move toward the officers. The officer who pulled out a gun fires one shot, and Roman appears to turn and runs up a nearby escalator. Both officers chase after him as another shot is fired.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot called the video of the shooting “extremely disturbing," according to the AP. The police department said in its statement Friday that Beck was "extremely concerned and has significant questions about the incident."
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is conducting a use of force investigation into the shooting. The Cook County State's Attorney's Office and the FBI are also investigating.
Following the shooting, the Chicago police charged Roman with resisting arrest and criminal narcotics. The State's Attorney's Office later dropped the charges, at Beck's request.
The Chicago police union, the Fraternal Order of Police, condemned the dropped charges and the police department's decision to discipline the two officers involved.
"No officer should be disciplined until an investigation is completed, including statements from the involved officers," the union said in a statement this week.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability responded, saying it recommended the officers be relieved of their police powers after reviewing video of the shooting and interviewing witnesses.