“Given that the vitriol has died down slightly and given that the name was being batted around, speculated to, as well as the plaintiff pursuing it and amending the complaint, it just seemed to be time,” Nick Valadez, a lawyer for Midlothian, told the Chicago Tribune last month. The police department then confirmed his identity in a statement, after weeks of arguing that it could not release the officer’s name due to safety concerns and the state police investigation. Instead, smaller agencies like the sheriff’s office and the Midlothian Police Department released the information independently.Ĭovey’s name, for example, was only released in January, one day after Roberson’s mother amended a wrongful death lawsuit filed last year to directly name the officer who shot her son. But the releases have not come from the Illinois State Police, which is tasked with the main investigation. Local activists have said that they believe race was a factor in the shooting: witnesses said that Covey, a white officer, simply opened fire after seeing a black man with a gun, despite people screaming that Roberson was a security guard.Īfter weeks of silence, law enforcement has recently begun releasing information in response to public records requests and a lawsuit from Roberson’s family. Roberson’s family disagrees, arguing that the shooting violated his civil rights. The police department initially argued that Roberson ignored “verbal commands” before the shooting, but later released a second statement claiming that the shooting was a case of “friendly fire,” and that Roberson’s death was a tragic accident. Roberson’s death has drawn national attention, with critics arguing that the police were too quick to fire. The videos do not include footage of Roberson actually being shot by police, however, or the moments that preceded it. Later, he continues, saying: “Do you not see us with vests on, bruh? Why would I have a vest on, bruh? This s**t ain’t for fun.” That’s what happened,” the other security guard says. Other witnesses can be heard crying and yelling in the background. In one, a security guard who worked with Roberson tells police that Ian Covey, the white officer who opened fire, did so despite being told that Roberson was security. The videos were recorded by police body cameras and bystanders’ cellphones. Now, nearly three months after Roberson’s death, a series of videos released this week by the Cook County Sheriff’s Office show the chaotic scene that unfolded as bystanders reacted to Roberson’s shooting. Shortly after Roberson subdued the suspect at gunpoint, police arrived - and fatally shot the black, armed security guard as he pinned the suspect to the ground. In the early hours of November 11, 2018, 26-year-old Jemel Roberson was working security at a bar in the Chicago suburbs when a shooting broke out.
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