Trial begins in Englewood police shooting tied to downtown looting

Opening statements were delivered Tuesday in the attempted murder trial of a man who allegedly fired a gun at two Chicago police officers in Englewood in August 2020 — a shooting that, city officials said at the time, sparked widespread looting in the downtown area.

The defendant, 23-year-old Latrell Allen, was shot three times by officers on Aug. 9, 2020, after he allegedly fired several rounds at two officers in an alley near 57th Street and South Racine Avenue.

Allen was later charged with attempted murder and aggravated discharge of a firearm. His trial is expected to last through the week.

[ Suspect wounded during police-involved shooting in Englewood; officers face angry crowd ]

The shooting occurred during the especially tense summer of 2020, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, a few months after looting and violence broke out across the city.

Another round of looting occurred after Allen was shot, and former Superintendent David Brown said at the time that the…