A Chicago police officer who shot and killed an unarmed Black man at an elevated train station in 2003 acknowledged late last year that the shooting was unjustified, contradicting the opinion of department officials, according to sworn testimony he gave in a lawsuit related to the shooting.

Officer Alvin Weems said that after he viewed video images of the March 2003 incident, during which he fatally shot Michael Pleasance at the CTA Red Line's 95th Street station, he realized that the altercation did not happen as he and department officials originally claimed, according to the deposition taken by the lawyer for the dead man's family.

In the December 2006 deposition, Weems also admitted that he did not fear for his life at the time he shot Pleasance, who was involved in a gang-related fistfight at the station.

Despite telling Office of Professional Standards investigators immediately after the shooting that he feared Pleasance would kill him, Weems said in the deposition that he feared only that he might suffer "injury but not serious."

"When I made those statements to OPS, I was doing the best of my recollection," Weems said. "And I was trying to do it as truthful as I can, but I guess I made some mistakes."

In a follow-up question, lawyer Craig Mannarino asked whether Weems believed the shooting was justified, given that he was not in fear of his life or even serious injury.

"It wasn't justified," Weems replied.