Waukegan, Ill., Officer Who Killed Black Man Has Been Fired, City To Release Video

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People march during a protest rally Thursday for Marcellis Stinnette in Waukegan, Ill., who was killed by a police officer last week.

Nam Y. Huh/AP

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Nam Y. Huh/AP

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He added that if state charges are approved, the court process will begin. If state charges are not approved, «a detailed statement will be provided explaining the facts, applicable laws, and basis for the decision.

The Waukegan Police Department said late Friday that the officer who shot his gun had been terminated «for multiple police and procedure violations, without providing specifics.

Officials have not identified the now-former officer. Police previously stated that he is Hispanic and served with the department for five years.

Once investigators with the Illinois State Police conduct their investigation, police said, it will be handed over to the Nerheim’s office for review.

The Waukegan community has been holding demonstrations and demanding officials release more information since the shooting took place after a traffic stop just before midnight Tuesday.

Tafara Williams has retained @BenCrumpLaw regarding this encounter w/ police. We have seen that the ‘official’ report when police kill Black people is often missing or misrepresenting details. We will share our findings when we have uncovered the truth. https://t.co/WIQItSHJiH

— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) October 24, 2020

The city is located just north of Chicago and roughly 15 miles south of Kenosha, Wisc., where another Black man, Jacob Blake was paralyzed after a police officer shot him several times at close range.

Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who represents Blake and other families who have had loved ones killed by police, including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, announced Friday he is representing the Williams family.

«Ms. Williams’ legal team will begin our own investigation into what happened during that incident, because we do not trust the police narrative in this case, Crump said in a statement.

«We have seen over and over that the ‘official’ report when police kill Black people is far too often missing or misrepresenting details. We will share our findings with the public when we have uncovered the truth, he added.

The Waukegan Police Department an officer «was investigating an occupied vehicle at around 11:55 p.m. local time Tuesday. There were two people inside the vehicle, police said, with a woman driving and a male passenger.

The vehicle fled, only to be spotted by a second officer moments later and approached the vehicle on foot. As the officer got closer, police said the suspects’ car «began to reverse. Adding: «Officer #2 fired his semi-automatic pistol, in fear for his safety.

Both the driver and the passenger were taken to a local hospital, where Stinnette later died from his injuries, police said.