Lake County State’s Attorney Michael Nerheim on Thursday revealed that an investigation has determined a Zion Police officer was justified when he fatally shot a 17-year-old boy twice in the back in northern Illinois last month.
Justus Howell, 17, of Waukegan, was fatally shot by a nine-year police veteran after a foot chase in Zion.
"Based on the entire investigation, I conclude that Officer [Eric] Hill was justified in his decision to use deadly force," Nerheim said. "This type of a decision by an officer can never be made lightly nor is such a decision taken lightly by my office. Deadly force should only be used as a last resort."
In explaining his decision, Nerheim showed several surveillance videos and diagrams and played 911 tapes from witnesses of the incident.
Police said Howell was involved in a scuffle while trying to steal a handgun during a street sale just before the officer shot him.
Howell's mother, Latoya Howell, said the shooting was not justified.
"They [killed] him with his back turned," Latoya Howell said.
"It ain't right, and I am not going to stand for it," she said. "There will be justice for Justus."
Lake County Coroner Thomas Rudd late last month declared the shooting a homicide. Autopsy reports showed Howell had small amounts of alcohol and marijuana in his body when he was killed.
Nerheim said a homicide is defined as the killing of a human by another human and is not necessarily murder. He said the investigation was intended to determine whether the April 4 shooting of Howell was a "justifiable homicide."
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Lake County NAACP president Jennifer Witherspoon said uthorities told the NAACP that they have videotape of the scuffle involving Howell.
According to Nerheim, Howell was running from Hall while carrying a gun.
"Howell continued to flee, Officer Hill saw him lean forward and turn slightly toward him with the gun in his right hand," Nerheim said. "Officer Hill provided Howell ample opportunity to drop the weapon and only fired when he felt his life and the life of his fellow officer were in danger."
Several hundred people marched through the northern Illinois city early last month to protest the fatal shooting.
The officer involved in the shooting was placed on administrative leave after the incident.
"I promised to the public that I would make a decision based solely on the facts and the law and I would publicly release the results of this investigation. This I have done," Nerheim said. "This decision in no way takes away from the fact that they have suffered an incredible loss."
Zion is a community of about 24,000 people along Lake Michigan about 45 miles north of Chicago, near Illinois' border with Wisconsin.
