Chicago agency says cop should be fired for shooting 16 bullets at the wrong car

For the first time in its nearly eight-year history, a Chicago review agency that looks at misconduct allegations against the city's police has recommended that an officer be fired for shooting someone, the Chicago Tribune reported on Tuesday.

The Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA), a civilian body, found that the officer was "inattentive to duty" in 2011 when he fired 16 shots at the wrong car after a drive-by shooting, seriously injuring an innocent driver, the Tribune reported.

The officer, Francisco Perez, had been working off-duty as a security officer for a Mexican restaurant on the city's northwest side at the time of the shooting, the newspaper reported.

Ultimately, the decision on whether to fire Perez is up to the Chicago Police Board.

Chicago Police Department spokeswoman Jennifer Rottner said Perez had been moved off the street and assigned to desk duty, but she could not comment further due to the pending investigation.

IPRA has investigated over 350 officer-involved shootings since 2007, according to its website.

Families of victims have complained about IPRA for almost always finding fatal officer-involved shootings justified. Police nationwide have faced increased scrutiny in the past year following controversial fatal shootings of unarmed black men in Missouri and South Carolina.

A representative for IPRA was not immediately available for comment, nor was Daniel Herbert, an attorney for Perez. A representative for the police union also was not available for comment.