Three years after an 84-year-old former Chicago Public Schools teacher was killed in a crash involving a police vehicle, family members argue the city of Chicago and its police department have delayed justice by not taking actions to revise pursuit policies.
Verona Gunn died on May 25, 2019, on Chicago's West Side after two police vehicles speeding to an officer-assist call collided at an intersection. One catapulted the other onto a sedan taking Gunn home after a family cookout. She died hours later on an operating table.
"This is the type of case that was 100% preventable," said family attorney Antonio Romanucci. "Had they been communicating, they wouldn't have... crashed into each other at the intersection."
The family and their lawyers argue there was a dispatch call to slow down the response. A civil lawsuit which they filed three years ago, says that the officers involved "proceeded at speeds that created unwarranted danger to others."
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Gunn's son, Pastor Dwight Gunn, said during a pursuit, police vehicles can be considered deadly weapons.
"A lot of times we deal with issues that particularly [with] gun violence, but the vehicle itself is an instrument that needs to be an [oversight]," Dwight Gunn said.
The family has demanded that Chicago's Civilian Office of Police Accountability release a summary of its investigation, called for the implementation of a vehicle safety program and a full review of Chicago police officers calling for help.
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"We believe that implementation or poor implementation of that policy, we believe is a direct contributor to the death of our mother," Dwight Gunn said.
NBC 5 reached out to the city of Chicago's Department of Law, which said it can't comment on pending litigation.
