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The death of popular Chicago bartender, who was beaten unconscious then run over by a taxi cab in a downtown Chicago crosswalk all while witnesses stood by and watched, has been ruled a homicide.
The Cook County Medical Examiner's office said Marques Gaines died from multiple blunt force injuries, from an automobile striking him on the street and from assault.
The cause of death follows the release of surveillance video showing someone attacking Gaines outside a 7-Eleven store moments before he is left unconscious in the street and later run over by a taxi.
In the video, Gaines is seen being punched and knocked unconscious at about 4:20 a.m. on February 7 outside the store in the 400 block of North State Street. Within a few seconds, dozens of bystanders gather around Gaines’ body, some appearing to sift through his pockets before the group dissipates, leaving Gaines in the street.
Bystanders continued to walk around Gaines, with no one coming to his aid before a taxi cab turned the corner and ran over his body.
Gaines died at an area hospital following the incident. His family has since filed a lawsuit against two Chicago cab companies, along with the driver of the vehicle that hit him. On Thursday, they added 7-Eleven to that claim.
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“There is no doubt about what happened on the morning that Marques Gaines was killed,” the family’s attorney, Chris Hurley, said in a statement. “The video record, culled from 7-Eleven's own security cameras and the City of Chicago surveillance tapes, shows the entire incident from onset to escalation to horrific aftermath.”
Hurley claims Gaines entered the store to make a purchase, and while he exited, he was confronted by a man who had just been removed from the store.
“The video shows the 7-Eleven security employee and other store personnel ignoring the fallen Gaines as he is robbed, left in the street unconscious for approximately two minutes, and eventually run over by a cab,” according to a release on the lawsuit.
The store named in the suit did not respond to NBC Chicago’s request for comment.
No arrests have been made in Gaines' death.
“After my nephew moved to Chicago a few years ago, he fell in love with the city and the people here,” his aunt Phyllis Nelson said. “After his death, we had a celebration of Marques’ life in Atlanta. Over 100 people from Chicago flew down to remember him. They all want to know why their friend had to die. I, my family, and Marques’ friends deserve an answer.”
