The family of a 19-year-old man who was fatally shot by Chicago police last summer filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against the city and two Chicago police officers, hoping to find answers to some of their questions surrounding his death.
On Aug. 24, 2014, Roshad McIntosh was standing on a street in the North Lawndale neighborhood with friends when the group was confronted by police.
McIntosh’s lawyers say the teen fled the scene in the 2800 block of West Polk, but surrendered shortly after, unarmed. Police, however, claim McIntosh pointed a gun at officers, prompting them to open fire.
“I lost my son, he was taken from me. I’m really hurt,” McIntosh’s mother Cynthia Lane said in a statement. “Roshad’s death has affected me emotionally in ways I never knew were possible. The law suit will never bring him back; but it will help answer a lot of questions that we have. Our family needs to know why they shot and killed him.”
The wrongful death lawsuit filed in the name of McIntosh’s 3-year-old son claims the city failed to “adequately train, supervise and discipline officers who shoot civilians” and failed to “thoroughly investigate police shootings.”
“The death of Roshad McIntosh was beyond tragic and is unjustifiable. It is unconscionable that the City of Chicago continues to fight transparency and shield the wrongdoing of their police officers instead of thoroughly investigating this and other instances of police violence,” said Sarah Gelsomino, a lawyer with People’s Law Office representing the family of Roshad McIntosh. “This lawsuit seeks not only justice for the family of Roshad McIntosh but to finally bring to light the circumstances of Roshad’s death, which the CPD has kept hidden from his family and from the public.”
Gelsomino noted the shooting took place a few weeks after the shooting of unarmed black teen Michael Brown, whose death continues to make national headlines.
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The city and Chicago Police Department did not immediately respond to NBCChicago’s request for comment. The identities of the two officers involved in the shooting were not released.
