A federal jury on Wednesday found in favor of Chicago police and decided to award nothing to the family of a South Side man who was fatally shot during a traffic stop.
Lawyers for the family of Darius Pinex argued that a Chicago police officer lied on the stand about why police stopped the car. The officer said he relied on a description of the car from a radio dispatcher, but the dispatch tape was produced by the city only after the civil trial had started and appeared to cast serious doubts on the officer’s testimony.
Pinex, 27, was killed when a traffic stop went awry in the early morning hours of Jan. 7, 2011.
Police said officers pulled over 27-year-old Darius Pinex just after 1:30 a.m. after noticing his vehicle matched the description of one used in an earlier shots fired call.
According to police, once the vehicle was stopped, officers ordered Pinex and a passenger out of the car. The passenger opened his door and Pinex put the car in reverse striking and dragging an officer.
Pinex then put the car into drive in an attempt to strike another officer, but hit a light pole instead, police said. The officer said he feared for his life, fired his weapon and shot Pinex, who later died.
"They just shot him down like he was nothing. He was a human being and he had people that loved him, people that still do love him," said Gloria Johnson, Pinex's grandmother. "He didn't deserve to die the way he did, and I just want to know why they shot my grandson down the way they did."
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Chicago police issued the following statement in response to the incident: "The Law Department holds its employees to the absolute highest professional and ethical standards and does not tolerate any action that would call into question the integrity of the lawyers who serve and represent the City of Chicago. The conduct outlined by the court in today’s decision is unacceptable. When the Law Department first learned of this conduct several months ago, it immediately began taking steps to make sure it would not be repeated."
