Autopsy Indicates Illinois Teen was Shot Twice in the Back by Police
ZION, Ill., April 6 (UPI) — A 17-year-old Illinois boy was shot twice in the back by a police officer over the weekend, autopsy results released Monday indicate.
Lake County, Ill., Coroner Thomas Rudd said Justus Howell died after he was shot twice in the torso from behind.
Howell was shot once in the back of his right shoulder and once in an injury that caused “devastating” injury to his spleen, liver and heart, Rudd’s report said.
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The teenager was killed Saturday afternoon in Zion after police were called to a residence due to a reported fight and sound of gunshot. Police said when they arrived at the scene, Howell fled and officers chased after him. One officer shot the teen.
Police said a handgun was recovered from the scene, though it’s unclear if Howell had been carrying it. Two witnesses said Howell was not armed at the time.
The Lake County Major Crime Task Force and the Lake County state’s attorney’s office are investigating the incident.
Howell’s family and community members gathered at the site of the shooting Sunday for a vigil and to speak out against police brutality.
“You can’t keep killing our black children and not tell us why,” Vanessa Gibbs, who lives in Zion, told the Chicago Sun-Times. “When is this going to stop? I’ve heard too many of these stories and I’m tired.”
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