Chicago police officer faces firing for shooting 13-year-old boy after mistaking cellphone for gun

A Chicago police officer faces dismissal nearly four years after he shot and paralyzed a 13-year-old boy who was holding a cellphone that was mistaken for a gun.

It’s the second time the Civilian Office of Police Accountability has pushed to fire Officer Noah Ball over an on-duty shooting. In the earlier case, Ball was given a one-day suspension after Supt. Larry Snelling fought COPA’s recommendation while the second investigation was well underway.

Ball encountered the teenager late May 18, 2022, when the boy hopped out of a car wanted in a carjacking and kidnapping and ran from pursuing officers, COPA said in a report released last week.

When the boy reached a gas station in the 800 block of North Cicero Avenue, he turned and appeared to raise both hands, COPA said. Another officer pointed a gun at the boy, but didn’t fire because he didn’t have a “clear visual” of his hands.

Ball shot three times, COPA said. As officers picked the boy off the ground, a phone in a black case appeared on the ground next to a small pool of blood.

“It’s a cell phone,” Ball said. “It’s a f----ing cell phone.”

Police said the boy was unarmed, and no shots were fired at officers.

The boy was paralyzed from the waist down, according to his family’s attorney. The family filed a federal lawsuit against the city and the Chicago Police Department in October 2022.

Attorney’s for Ball and the boy’s family didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Cook County state’s attorney’s office determined there was “insufficient evidence” to support criminal charges, a spokesperson said.

COPA found Ball violated department orders by shooting at the boy and failing to turn on his body-worn camera.

In a letter to COPA Chief Administrator LaKenya White, Snelling agreed with the agency’s findings and the recommendation to fire Ball. He also said the police department would request that Ball be placed on the city’s do-not-hire list.

Snelling previously went to bat for Ball when COPA sought to have him fired for another shooting in West Garfield Park in June 2021. No one was injured during the armed encounter, but COPA investigators found Ball hadn’t faced an “imminent threat” and questioned whether he was fired upon.

“This misconduct was of the most egregious nature, that which jeopardized the safety of an individual and may have resulted in physical injury or the loss of life,” COPA said.

Snelling disagreed, though. He said Ball’s force was “objectively reasonable, necessary, and proportional in order to protect Officer Ball and the other officers on scene that day.”

The disciplinary dispute was later settled by a single member of the Chicago Police Board, which adopted Snelling’s recommendation for a one-day suspension.

COPA’s attempts to interview Ball about the newer allegations were unsuccessful. He has been stripped of his police powers pending the resolution of his case.