Kajuan Raye

Kajuan Raye, 19, was shot in the back and killed by Chicago Police Sergeant John Poulos during a foot chase in the Englewood neighborhood on November 23, 2016, after Poulos believed Raye matched the description of a battery suspect. Poulos said Raye twice pointed a gun at him during the chase; no weapon was found at the scene despite an extensive search, and released surveillance video does not show Raye turning toward Poulos with anything in his hand. Three months later, a resident reported finding a handgun in the bushes near where Raye was shot. Chicago's Civilian Office of Police Accountability ruled the shooting justified in 2019, concluding circumstantial and social media evidence made it “likely and reasonable” the gun was Raye's. No criminal charges were ever filed. It was the second time Poulos had fatally shot someone; he had also killed an unarmed man in 2013 and was cleared both times. No one has ever been criminally charged in Raye's death.

Chicago, IL · Cook County

• 2016: Case opens — victim reported missing or found.
• Documented milestones (renewed investigation, media coverage, family advocacy) to be added as sourced.
• Present: case remains unresolved. No named suspect has been convicted.

• The foot chase, the shooting, and Raye's death from a gunshot wound to the back, per the Independent Police Review Authority's released surveillance video and the Cook County Medical Examiner's findings.
• No gun was found at the scene despite an extensive search on the night of the shooting; a resident reported finding a handgun in bushes near the location roughly three months later.
• The released surveillance footage does not show Poulos firing or show Raye turning toward him with a weapon, per CBS Chicago's reporting on the video.
• The Civilian Office of Police Accountability concluded in a report made public in 2019 that a combination of circumstantial, physical, testimonial, and social media evidence made it “likely and reasonable” the recovered gun was in Raye's possession at the time of the shooting, and ruled the shooting justified; no criminal charges were ever filed against Poulos.
• Poulos had fatally shot another man, 28-year-old Rickey Rozelle, in 2013 while off-duty; that shooting was also ruled justified despite no weapon being found on or near Rozelle.
• Raye's mother, Karonisha Ramsey, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit; in March 2020 a federal jury found Poulos liable for battery and awarded the family just over $1 million, while separately finding he had not used excessive force — a split verdict that resulted in financial liability without a finding of excessive force.
• Poulos was later promoted and, as of 2023 reporting, was running for Cook County judge.

• Whether the gun found three months later in the bushes was in fact Raye's, and whether he pointed it at Poulos as claimed, was disputed by the family's attorney, who called the circumstances “beyond shady,” and was never resolved by any criminal proceeding since none was brought.
• How a federal civil jury could find Poulos liable for battery while simultaneously finding he had not used excessive force has not been fully reconciled in public reporting on the verdict.
• The specific internal review, if any, given to the pattern of Poulos's two fatal shootings and their identical no-weapon-found circumstances has not been made comprehensively public.

• Chicago Sun-Times — “Lawyer rejects COPA finding that 2016 fatal shooting of Kajuan Raye was justified”
• CBS News Chicago — “Jury Awards Family Of Kajuan Raye $1 Million; Teen Was Fatally Shot By Chicago Police Sgt. John Poulos”
• Chicago Sun-Times — “John Poulos, Chicago cop whose fatal shootings of 2 men led to City Hall payouts, now running for Cook County judge”
• Project Cold Case
• Murder Accountability Project
• NamUs