⁍ The U.S. Department of Justice has agreed to assist an Illinois state investigation into a police shooting that killed an unarmed Black man and wounded his girlfriend.
⁍ Lake County State’s Attorney Michael Nerheim said he asked the Department of Justice for help reviewing the Oct. 20 shooting.
⁍ The shooting left 19-year-old Marcellis Stinnette dead and has been under investigation by state police.
– The FBI has agreed to help investigate the fatal police shooting of an unarmed black man in Illinois earlier this month, Reuters reports. Lake County State’s Attorney Michael Nerheim says he asked for help after the Oct. 20 shooting of 19-year-old Marcellis Stinnette in Waukegan. “I have been advised that they have agreed to do so,” Nerheim says. “I am confident in the work being done by the Illinois State Police and welcome the assistance of the FBI.” Stinnette was killed and his girlfriend, Tafarra Williams, was wounded during a traffic stop. Police say a Hispanic male officer shot into the couple’s car because it went into reverse when he approached it and he feared for his safety. No firearm was found in the vehicle. Relatives say Stinnette had been in a bad car accident in August that broke his leg and wrist and required him to use a walker. “He was an unarmed passenger in the car,” a family spokesperson says. “He posed no threat. So why is he no longer with us?” More than a hundred people marched in Waukegan on Thursday and more than 200 to 300 were expected for a second demonstration on Saturday, according to local organizer Clyde McLemore.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-race-usa-illinois/fbi-to-assist-probe-into-police-shooting-of-black-couple-in-illinois-idUSKBN2782V1