New video shows cop shooting Anthony Alvarez as he runs away

In the newly released bodycam footage, Mr Alvarez appears to be fleeing police at the moment he gets shot

A new video appears to show Anthony Alvarez being shot by police as he was running away.

Mr Alvarez, 22, died after the shooting on 31 March. In body camera footage released by Chicago police on Wednesday, a police officer chases Mr Alvarez down a residential street until they turn a corner, at which point the cop shouts out a warning.

“Hey! Drop the gun, drop the gun!” the officer yells.

Mr Alvarez at that point has an object in his hand, but it is not clear from the footage what it is.

Five shots can then be heard, and Mr Alvarez drops to the ground.

“Why are you shooting me?” he asks.

“You had a gun!” the officer answers.

He and a second officer then spend several minutes trying to render medical aid and calling for an ambulance. One of them points to an object in the grass and says, “The gun is right there.”

Police released the video only a day after privately showing it to Mr Alvarez’s family.

“I know what I saw,” the family’s attorney, Todd Pugh, said after watching it. “And I saw a Chicago police officer shoot their son as he ran away from them.”

Mr Alvarez’s mother, Veronica, demanded more information.

“I want more answers,” she told NBC Chicago through a translator. “The videos I saw don’t explain what I saw in the morgue. I want to know why they were running after him.”

The Chicago Office of Police Accountability has said the cops had “attempted to stop and speak with” Mr Alvarez, and gave chase when he fled.

The office also said it recommends removing the officer who shot Alvarez while the shooting is investigated.

“Based upon information obtained in the early stages of the investigation, COPA has recommended the Chicago Police Officer who discharged his weapon, fatally injuring Mr Alvarez, be relieved of police powers during the pendency of this investigation," the organization said in a statement.

The Chicago Police Department has not revealed that officer’s name.

Chicago’s mayor, Lori Lightfoot, has called for calm as more information is released.

“Both parties are acutely aware of the range of emotions that will accompany the release of these materials, and we collectively issue this statement and ask that those who wish to express themselves do so peacefully and with respect for our communities and the residents of Chicago,” Ms Lightfoot said in a joint statement with the Alvarez family’s lawyers.