Aamer Madhani

USA TODAY

CHICAGO — Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration has changed course and said Wednesday that it is dropping its objection to releasing video footage that shows a Chicago Police officer fatally shooting a 17-year-old unarmed black teenager.

The decision on the video, which is evidence in a wrongful death lawsuit filed against the city and two police officers for the 2013 death of Cedrick Chatman, comes as the Chicago Police Department and Emanuel are facing an avalanche of criticism over the use of force by the city’s police.

U.S. District Court Judge Robert Gettleman was expected to rule on Thursday on whether to release the Chatman video.

Officer Kevin Fry said that he shot Chatman after the teen ran from a stolen vehicle holding what he mistakenly thought was a gun. Fry’s partner, officer Lou Toth, was chasing Chatman, but Fry said in his deposition that he opened fire after seeing the teen turn slightly toward them.

He shot four times, striking Chatman twice. The teen was holding a black iPhone box.

“I was in fear of Officer Toth's life,” Fry said in his deposition. “I was in fear of my own life. And any pedestrians in the area, I was in fear of their life as well.”

The city had argued that releasing the video ahead of trial could prejudice jury members. Attorneys for the city have fought to keep the video private even as Emanuel vowed last month to improve transparency of incidents involving police.

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The mayor’s promise to bolster transparency came in the aftermath of the Emanuel administration facing public backlash following the court-ordered release of a police dashcam video that showed officer Jason Van Dyke shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times. Van Dyke was charged with first degree murder on the same day that the city released the video, 400 days after the incident.

In the aftermath of the release of the McDonald video, Emanuel forced the resignation of his police superintendent and replaced the head of the city agency tasked with investigating police shootings that is known as the Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA). The mayor also promised to take action to bolster public trust in the police department.

In a court filing on Wednesday, the city suggested the decision in the McDonald case set precedent for releasing the Chatman video.

Emanuel created a task force on police accountability following the release of the McDonald video that it is tasked, in part, to offer recommendations on how the city should update its policies "to find the right balance between the public’s interest in disclosure and the importance of protecting the integrity of investigations and the judicial process,” said Chicago corporation counsel Steve Patton.

“In this case, the city sought a protective order consistent with its decades-long policy," Patton said. "We recognize the policy needs to be updated, and while we await guidance from the Task Force on Police Accountability, we are working to be as transparent as possible.”

Brian Coffman, co-counsel for the slain teen's mother, Linda Chatman, told USA TODAY he was surprised by the Emanuel administration's about-face, which came after months of vigorous argument from city attorneys to keep the footage out of the public eye until the end of the trial.

"At this point, he knows he had no other play, if he really wants to stand by his vow to improve transparency," Coffman said of the mayor.

Five cameras in the area, including a police camera, caught footage from the incident. Chatman was shot about seven seconds after he ran from the car.

Lorenzo Davis, an investigator for IPRA who was assigned to investigate the shooting, had found the shooting to be unjustified. But Davis, a former police officer, was overruled by a supervisor and the agency cleared Fry of wrongdoing.

Davis, who was fired by IPRA, has filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the city alleging he was wrongfully terminated after refusing, under pressure from supervisors, to change his findings in investigations in which he found officers committed misconduct.

Coffman said that the video footage shows that Cedrick Chatman was not a threat to the officers. He added that the footage shows that Chatman was handcuffed after he was shot and that video shows Toth, at one point, with his foot on top of the teen as he lay bleeding on the ground.

"You see Officer Toth stand on top of his neck, with a foot on top of his neck...like this is my kill," Coffman said. "It's awful."

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The city law department's decision to drop its objection to the video's release comes as Chicago has seen weeks of protests, where demonstrators have lashed out at the police department and many have called for Emanuel to resign. Activists on Wednesday said they were planning further protests and were calling on clergy and city leaders to boycott a Friday breakfast hosted by the mayor to honor the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.

"I'll give credit to him for doing the right thing, but I question the mayor's sincerity and motivation for doing the right thing," said activist William Calloway.

Fry, who joined the force in 2003, has had 30 complaints lodged against him during his tenure on the department. Ten of the complaints were for excessive use of force. None of the complaints were sustained.

Follow USA TODAY Chicago correspondent Aamer Madhani on Twitter: @AamerISmad