Illinois police officers won’t be charged in fatal shooting of an unarmed suburban Chicago man
CAROL STREAM, Ill. (AP) — No charges will be filed against suburban Chicago police officers in the fatal shooting of an unarmed man in a dark bedroom, a prosecutor said Wednesday.
State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said he can’t prove that a Carol Stream officer “was not legally justified in using deadly force.” The officer claimed self-defense.
“It is indeed a tragedy any time a human life is lost,” said Berlin, the prosecutor in DuPage County. “Criminal charges can only be filed, however, if the evidence is sufficient to support a conviction beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Isaac Goodlow, 30, died at a hospital after he was shot Feb. 3 in Carol Stream, about 34 miles (55 kilometers) west of Chicago.
Police arrived in the middle of the night in response to a 911 call from a woman who said Goodlow had beaten her before she fled from their shared apartment. She had a black eye and bloody lip.
Police announced themselves for nearly an hour, but Goodlow refused to open the door. Six officers finally entered the dark apartment after a building employee provided a key.
Body-camera video showed Goodlow’s “knee or thigh coming out of the bedroom door” when an officer opened it with his foot, Berlin said.
The officer shot Goodlow in the chest. He told investigators that he believed Goodlow was “pointing something at me, throwing something at me or reaching for my firearm,” according to a summary released by Berlin.
“Goodlow’s sudden and aggressive actions towards me compelled me to flinch backwards and discharge my weapon to stop the perceived threat,” the officer was quoted as telling investigators.
Earlier, Goodlow told his girlfriend that police would have to kill him or he would kill himself if she called 911, the prosecutor said.
Goodlow’s sisters have filed a lawsuit against the officers and the police department alleging excessive force was used.