Jury: EPD Officers Believed Knife-Wielding Man a Danger When They Shot Him

A jury sided with three Evanston police officers by unanimously agreeing that the officers believed themselves to be in grave danger when they shot and killed a knife-wielding man in 2009, according to the Evanston Review. The ruling, from last month, means the city will pay significantly less in damages than the plaintiff in the lawsuit was seeking.

The officers shot and killed Desrick York, 35, in the 1800 block of Church Street. The mother of two of York’s children had filed the lawsuit against the city. An earlier lawsuit filed by York’s widow was dismissed, according to TribLocal.

Evanston Police Chief Richard Eddington was quoted in TribLocal Tuesday reacting to the verdict by saying, “Any death is tragic. I think though, when we step back and look at this, the issue is not only were the officers’ actions vindicated, but the system we use for investigating officer-involved shootings was also vindicated.”

An earlier Illinois State Police investigation cleared the officers of any wrongdoing, TribLocal reported.

The jury’s decision reduced the damages to $43,208, down from the $350,000 the plaintiff sought, according to the Evanston Review.

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