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A suburban Chicago police officer who shot a black couple inside a vehicle, killing a 19-year-old boy and wounding his girlfriend, was fired.
The officer who shot Marcellis Stinnette and wounded Tafara Williams after what authorities described as a traffic stop Tuesday night committed “multiple policy and procedure violations,” Waukegan Police Chief Wayne said. Walles, in a short statement.
No other details were provided, including the name of the officer.
The announcement came shortly after the Lake County chief prosecutor announced that the FBI will join the Illinois State Police in the investigation. Lake County State Attorney Michael Nerheim said he asked the US Department of Justice to review the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
“I am confident in the work that the Illinois State Police is doing and I appreciate the help of the FBI,” Nerheim said. “As I have said before, once the investigation is complete, all the evidence will be reviewed and a final decision will be made regarding the possible charges.”
Waukegan Police have said Williams was driving and that Stinnette was a passenger in a vehicle that fled a traffic stop and that the vehicle was later discovered by another officer. Police said that as the second officer approached, the vehicle began to reverse and the officer opened fire. No weapon was found in the vehicle.
The officer who shot the couple is Hispanic and had been with Waukegan police for five years. The officer who made the original traffic stop is white, police said.
During a rally Thursday, Clyde McLemore, Lake County’s section chief for Black Lives Matter, called for a federal investigation. Activists and relatives of the couple have also demanded the release of the police video of the shooting, which authorities say has been turned over to investigators.
Activist Chris Blanks said the video was particularly important because the police version of events and the version that Clifftina Johnson said her injured daughter, Williams, shared with her appear to contradict each other.
Johnson said her daughter told her that Williams and her boyfriend had done nothing to provoke the officer.
Nerheim called for calm while the investigation takes place and promised transparency.
