Marcellus Stinett, 19, was killed when an officer opened fire on his car.
A police officer who opened fire on an unarmed black couple in Illinois, killing a 19-year-old man and seriously injuring his girlfriend, has been fired.
The officer, whose name has not yet been released, was fired late Friday night, Wakigan, Illinois, police said.
“In the evening hours of October 23, 2020, Wagan City terminated the officer who disarmed during the incident for violating multiple policies and procedures,” Ves Les said in a statement.
Marcellus Stinett was killed Tuesday night when an officer opened fire on a passenger at the vehicle at 11:55 p.m., according to police.
Wokegan Police Department CMDR. Edgar Navarro said earlier this week that Stinett was sitting in the passenger seat of a “suspicious” car, which was approached by an officer. The car fled and was later pulled over by another officer.
“The officer who checked his vehicle and the vehicle came out.” “The officer then pulled out his duty weapon and fired at the vehicle which was overturning. Both occupants were struck.”
The mother of Stefanet’s child and the driver of the vehicle, Tafra Willam, was attacked in the arm and abdomen and is still being treated in hospital. His injuries were not fatal.
Both officers were placed on administrative duty while the shooting investigation was ongoing.
The investigation is being handled by Illinois State Police, which conducted a statement Friday night by the police chief.
He wrote, “Illinois State Police are conducting their own independent investigation.” Once that investigation is complete, it will be turned over to the Lake County Illinois State Attorney’s Office for review. “
Renowned civil rights lawyers Ben Krump and Antonio M. Romanusi announced early Friday that he would represent 20-year-old Williams.
“Ms. Williams’ legal team will begin our own investigation into what happened during the incident, as we do not believe the police statement in this case. Sometimes details are missing or misrepresented, “Kramp said in a statement.” We will share our findings with the public when we expose the truth. “
Krump and Romanuchi also represent the families of George Floyd and Daniel Prude, both of whom were killed by police earlier this year.
Wakigan Mayor Sam Cunningham told a news conference Wednesday that he was concerned about violent protests in the city.
“I’m nervous because there’s a lot of uncertainty out there, a lot of rumors flying around. I’m nervous for a walkgun,” Cunningham said. “We’ve seen this play across the country. It’s just spreading the word in communities and it takes years to rebuild.”
Protests have been relatively small and peaceful in the days since the killings.
ABC News’ Devin Villasis and Will Gratsky contributed to this report.
