Hundreds of black people protested on Tuesday outside a police station at Midlothian, Illinois, U.S. after a white police officer shot to death a black security guard while he was doing his job at a bar over the weekend.
The 26-year-old security guard, Jemel Roberson, had caught a man who allegedly fired a gun inside a Robbins, Illinois, bar early Sunday when he was shot by the Chicago police officer who was responding to calls from neighbouring community.
Media reports state that Roberson was waiting for police help when he was gunned down several times by the police officer.
While armed, he had apprehended the suspect outside the bar and had pinned him to the ground when the officer arrived and shot him despite screams from people that Roberson was a security guard.
He was even wearing a hat inscribed with the word “Security” when the officer shot him, according to Gregory Kulis, an attorney for Roberson’s mother.
In a statement cited by USA Today, the Midlothian Police Chief, Daniel Delaney said: “What we have learned is Jemel Roberson was a brave man who was doing his best to end an active shooter situation at Manny’s Blue Room.
“The Midlothian Police Department is completely saddened by this tragic incident and we give our heartfelt condolences to Jemel, his family and his friends. There are no words that can be expressed as to the sorrow his family is dealing with.”
Delaney had said in a previous statement that Roberson was “a subject with a gun,” adding that right after the shooting, there were conflicting reports as to whether Roberson was the suspect or a security guard.
As of Tuesday night, USA Today reports that the suspect, identified as John Doe, had not been charged.
Meanwhile, Roberson’s mother has described the incident as an “excessive and unreasonable” use of force and has filed a federal lawsuit against Midlothian and the officer seeking more than $1 million in damages.
The incident has also sparked outrage with concerns over whether race could have been the basis under which the police officer went ahead with the shooting.
Below is a video of the unfortunate incident:
A black security guard who stopped a shooter was fatally shot by police. His name is #JemelRoberson. pic.twitter.com/UzUUTbib7N
— AJ+ (@ajplus) November 13, 2018
