Your Black Bloggers The official gathering spot for black bloggers
Lake County State’s Attorney Michael Nerheim said at a news conference that an investigation determined the shooting, which sparked protests and marches in the community 40 miles north of Chicago, was a justified use of lethal force.
Justus Howell, 17, was shot twice in the back. Police and witnesses said he was carrying a gun he had just stolen from another teenager in an illegal firearms sale. The gun went off as Howell and the other young man fought over it. Police were called by neighbors and Howell ran when the officers approached him, Nerheim said.
The shooting occurred at a time of tension around the United States over police use of deadly force against minorities. In recent months, cities from Baltimore to Ferguson, Missouri, also have seen protests and unrest over shootings, often of unarmed young men.
There were demonstrations in Madison, Wisconsin, this week after prosecutors ruled that a police officer would not be charged in the fatal shooting of an unarmed biracial teenager.
Cities from Baltimore to Ferguson, Missouri, also have seen protests and unrest over shootings, often of unarmed young men.
Nerheim expressed condolences to Howell’s family and said he understood they were unhappy with the investigation.
