A black teenager was killed and a young black woman was injured in a police shooting in Illinois, authorities said, adding that an investigation is underway and the couple’s families are seeking answers.
Police said the shooting took place just before midnight on Tuesday night in Wokegan, miles miles north of Chicago.
Wokigan police officers were “investigating the seized vehicle,” when the vehicle fled, police said in a news release Wednesday.
Moments later, another officer spotted the vehicle in a nearby area. When another officer got out of his vehicle and approached, the car began to move in reverse and the officer fired, “out of fear for his safety,” the news release said.
The driver, a 20-year-old black woman, was hospitalized with serious injuries, but is expected to recover, police said. The passenger, a black male teenager, was taken to hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
Police have not yet been able to identify the two men who were shot.
No weapons were found in the car, police said.
It is not clear why the first officer was investigating the seized vehicle. In an email responding to NBC News on Thursday, Wokegan Police CMDR. Edgar Navarro did not respond to a question about the reasons for the investigation.
Department officials and squad cars were all equipped with cameras, police said. It is not clear which video of the shooting exists, and Navarro said Thursday that there is no timeline for when the footage will be released.
Illinois State Police will lead an investigation into the incident, according to a police statement. The autopsy was performed Wednesday by Lake County County Ronner’s Office Fees.
The officer who fired the shots was Hispanic, and the first officer to inspect the vehicle was white, police said.
Officers involved in the incident will be kept on administrative leave as there is an active investigation, police said.
At a press conference Wednesday, Wakigan Mayor Sam Conanhing said the hearing on the shooting was “painful.”
“I know this family personally. Their grandparents used to babysit me. “To be able to talk to him about this – yes, it hurts.”
He added: “I am a black man who grew up in the same neighborhood. That I could be. “
The families told NBC Chicago they wanted answers and justice.
“They were not thugs. They weren’t problem kids, “a family spokesman told the outlet.” They have no problem with anyone here. “
“We are seeking peace and justice. “That’s all we want,” said NBC Chicago, a woman known as the great-aunt of the deceased passenger. “It simply came to our notice then. We want to watch a video. “
The Lakes County chapter of the Black Lives Matter is set to protest Thursday afternoon’s shooting.
