When a black security guard was shot and killed by police just moments after stopping a drunk customer who had opened fire at a bar in Illinois, questioned were raised. While authorities have released details about the shootings, witnesses have contradicted some of the information that has come out.
Since the incident, many Chicago-area citizens were left confused, leaving people to make judgments about the incident. Here’s what happened.
Manny’s Blue Room
The incident at Manny’s Blue Room occurred at around 4 a.m. on Sunday, after a security guard told the drunk man to leave the premises. Jemel Roberson, 26, was working as a security guard at the nightclub when several men got into a fight that ended in gunshots.
Security Guard Stepping In
Witnesses said Roberson subdued one of the men and was holding him at gunpoint in the parking lot when a responding officer shot and killed him. State police said that Roberson was given “multiple verbal commands” to drop his weapon, although this account was contradicted by witness statements.
Demanding Answers
“In 35 years, I’ve never seen security get shot by police,” Abe Khan, owner of Chicago’s Reliance Security Services told the Chicago Tribune. “I would like to know what happened. It’s crazy. Police officers don’t do that.”
Unanswered Question
One unanswered question was whether Roberson was carrying a weapon. Dorian Myrickes, a fellow security guard who was working security with Roberson that night, told the Chicago Tribune that she and Roberson were stationed inside the bar. By law, liquor-serving establishments are allowed to have armed guards inside, although guards are permitted to carry weapons outside.
Where Was His Gun?
Although police said that Roberson was holding a gun when he was shot, they are unsure if it was his own weapon or one he picked up during the chaos. Myrickes told the Tribune that Roberson had left his gun in his car, although he may have retrieved it when the trouble started.
Alcohol And Guns
Mike Brown, who runs Security Training Concepts, said there’s a good reason for the prohibition on armed guards inside of bars. “Alcohol and guns do not mix,” he said. “There is no way Manny’s Blue Room could have (legally) hired him to work in an armed capacity inside, because it would have jeopardized its liquor license.”
How Roberson Was Dressed
Manny’s Blue Room’s liquor license at the time of the shooting had expired, according to government records. The preliminary report from the Illinois State Police, which is investigating the shooting, said that Roberson was wearing “plain black clothing with no markings readily identifying him as a Security Guard.”
Security
But, Myrickes said Roberson had a cap and sweatshirt emblazoned with the word Security. A witness who lives next door to the club also said he saw Roberson wearing a cap, although he wasn’t sure if Roberson had it on when he was shot.
Security Guards
Louis Phillips, director of training at PTC Security Training Academy, said he has seen younger security guards dressed casually on the job, but that he advises against it, saying visibility is important. If it turns out that Roberson’s clothes clearly marked him as security, then Midlothian police will have some explaining to do, said Phillips.
Accountability
“(The officer) is going to be held accountable,” he said. “They’re going to sue the shoes off that town, and rightfully so.” Phillips believes that another complication in the case is that Manny’s Blue Room is outside of Midlothian. He said that police are always familiar with the employees of their town’s liquor-serving establishments, and while Robbins police might have known Roberson was a security guard, Midlothian officers likely did not.
Midlothian Police
“If it’s part of their patrol district, they know who works in the club,” Phillips told the Tribune. “So when you call for an outside agency assist, their officers might not be familiar with that bar.” Midlothian police Chief Dan Delancey called Roberson “a brave man who was doing his best to end an active shooter situation.”
Protestors
The Tuesday following his death, protestors gathered outside the Midlothian Police headquarters, some carrying portraits of Roberson. A family attorney said the young man was a father and that his girlfriend is pregnant with their second child.
Rally
On Wednesday, community activists held a rally to call for Cook County State’s Attorney Kimberly Foxx to investigate the shooting and for the officer involved to resign. “This young man has a nine-month-old son, he’ll never get to see his child grow up,” local pastor Anthony Williams told CBS News.
Unjustified Shooting
“This young man wanted to be a police [officer]. This young man was a child of God – he worked in the church and lost his life, unfortunately, so we want justice.” Gregory E. Kulis, who filed a lawsuit contending that the shooting was unjustified and unprovoked, said the police release is “woefully incomplete.”
Knit Cap
Kulis suggested it’s possible there was no mention of Roberson’s knit cap because witnesses said it came off as emergency workers tried to administer CPR. Another security guard at the nightclub said the officer jumped onto the bar and waved an assault rifle before running outside and fatally shooting Roberson.
Screaming
Kulis said the surviving security guard told him that the officer pointed a gun at him until he screamed at him that he was a security guard. “That’s when he jumped off the bar, waving the gun, and ran outside the door,” said Kulis.
Black Man With A Gun
An official in a neighboring community also asked for prosecutors to investigate, saying he’s concerned race played a role in the shooting. “Here is a security guard who is subduing a suspect,” but the officer “just sees a black man with a gun and kills him,” Alderman Keith Price said.
Race
Kulis did not say if he thinks race played a role in the shooting, but the fact that the officer is white and Roberson was black has prompted some to question the officer’s thinking. “I believe a police officer showing up at a chaotic scene where a white man has a gun would have at least hollered for him to put the gun down before opening fire,” Chicago Sun-Times columnist Mary Mitchell wrote.
Black Men
“But too often, black men are not given the benefit of the doubt,” Mitchell added. The Illinois State Police did not respond to a series of questions from CBS News, including the contradictory accounts of Roberson’s clothing, how much time elapsed between the time the officer shouted commands and opened fire, and whether video exists of the shooting, to name a few.
Administrative Leave
But, a spokesman said the investigation is ongoing and no further information outside of the statement would be released at this time. In an initial statement, Midlothian Police Chief Daniel Delaney said that the officer shot “a subject with a gun.” The chief also said the officer has been placed on administrative leave, which is standard in shootings until the investigation is complete.
Firearms
The sheriff’s department for the county released little information about the incident, but have said that Roberson had a valid firearms owners’ identification card. He did not, however, have a concealed carry permit, according to police.
Other Injuries
While Roberson was the only person killed in this horrific incident, four other individuals were injured, including the shooter. None of those wounds, however, are thought to be life-threatening. “A Midlothian officer encountered a subject with a gun and was involved in an officer-involved shooting,” the police chief said in a statement posted on the department’s Facebook page. “The subject the officer shot was later pronounced deceased at an area hospital,” he added.
Musician
Roberson has been described by those close to him as a musician who regularly played drums and keyboard at Chicago-area churches. Friends told local media that he planned on becoming a police officer.
Police Officer
“Every artist he’s ever played for every musician he’s ever sat beside, we’re all just broken because we have no answers,” Reverend Patricia Hill of Purposed Church said. “He was getting ready to train and do all that stuff, so the very people he wanted to be family with, took his life.”
