The Lake County coroner on Tuesday said the death of a suburban Chicago teenager at the hands of Zion police officer was a homicide.
Lake County Coroner Thomas Rudd released autopsy reports that showed 17-year-old Justus Howell of Waukegan had small amounts of alcohol and marijuana in his body when he was killed.
Howell was shot twice in the back by a nine-year police veteran after a foot chase.
Police said Howell was involved in a scuffle while trying to steal a handgun during a street sale just before the officer shot him.
State's Attorney Michael Nerheim said a homicide is defined as the killing of a human by another human and is not necessarily murder. He said an investigation continues to determine whether the April 4 shooting of Howell was a "justifiable homicide."
Several hundred people marched through the northern Illinois city earlier this month to protest the fatal shooting.
