The latest in police violence occurred just outside of Chicago when a white officer shot a Black security guard outside of a bar. Prosecutors announced that there would be no charges filed against officer Ian Covey. The Cook County state attorney’s office said that the “totality of evidence” was “not enough” to press criminal charges against the officer.
In apparent anticipation of the potential backlash, State Attorney Kim Foxx told the press that they had interviewed over 100 witnesses and this evidence was examined by her office and the public integrity task force that helps take down bad cops.
What Happened?
Jamel Roberson was working at Manny’s Blue Room in Robbins which is in a predominantly black neighborhood south of Chicago. According to a fellow security guard, a fight broke out between two groups and they were both ejected from the bar through separate doors. Someone came back into the bar and opened fire. Four people were injured, including security guard Dorian Myrickes.
According to an attorney representing Roberson’s mother, Roberson was wearing a hat with the word “security” emblazoned across it. He was trying to detain a suspect when he was fatally shot.
Now, what most people thought was that the white police officer saw a Black man with a gun and simply shot him. Several witnesses told police that they had yelled at the police officer telling him that Roberson was a security guard. Additionally, Myrickes, the other security guard, told police that he never heard Covey tell Roberson to drop his weapon. State police issued a statement saying that Roberson was not wearing any clothing that would have revealed him to be a security guard.
What is Wrong with This Picture?
Roberson was almost certainly wearing clothing that identified him as security. He was probably wearing it when he died. So the state police issuing a statement that said Roberson was in plain black clothing is a slap in the face to the community that they are tasked with protecting.
However, the mere fact that the police lied does not necessarily mean that they are guilty of murder. However, the fact that they lied makes it much worse as they seem to have forged legal documents which is itself a crime.
The officer is not off the hook. There is a civil suit pending that has been filed by the Roberson family and just because the Cook County does not want to press charges does not mean that the federal government could not step in and file federal charges. In this case, they will not, but one thing is for sure. The threshold of evidence for your average Joe is much different than a police officer when it comes to having enough of it to press charges.
Talk to a Cook County Criminal Defense Lawyer
David Freidberg represents those charged with crimes in the Chicago area. If you are facing serious charges, give us a call at (312) 560-7100 to learn more about how we can help.