Justus Howell, 17 years old, shot twice in the back by police
It never stops.
A teenager shot by a Zion police officer Saturday died of two gunshot wounds to the back, Lake County Coroner Thomas Rudd announced Monday.
Justus Howell, 17, was shot twice, with one bullet penetrating his heart, spleen and liver, and the other entering his right shoulder, according to a coroner's news release on the autopsy.
His mother spoke to the local CBS affiliate:
His mother, LaToya Howell, said Justus wanted to go to medical school to be a surgeon.
“Justus was a young man murdered by Zion police,” she said. “As he was fleeing from police, they killed my son. He couldn’t have been a threat if he was running.”
Two immediate witnesses who saw the shooting and the aftermath confirmed that the officer shot Justus in the back. Although police stated that they found a weapon at the scene, witnesses said
no such weapon was produced.
Michael Dizzone and his wife live in a home directly across the street from where Howell was shot. Dizzone said his wife was looking out of her bedroom window when she saw and heard the officer shoot Howell twice.
“She saw him fall to the ground,” Dizzone said. He said his wife told police what she saw and that she did not see a gun on or around Howell. “She was really upset.”
Bobbie Vaughn, who lives nearby, said she heard two shots and began running toward the scene, following a police officer. When she arrived, she saw Howell on the ground.
“I heard the officer tell the other officer, ‘I shot him,’ ” she said. “They were shaking him, but he didn’t move. He was on his stomach, so they turned him over and the police officer I was with gave him CPR.”
Vaughn said that she remained on the scene for quite some time and did not see police uncover a weapon.
“I didn’t see a gun, no knife, nothing,” she said.
More details are forthcoming.