In 2018 an Illinois police officer fatally shot a Black security guard in Illinois, officer who fatally shot a Black security guard who was detaining a gunman outside a bar in 2018 will not face criminal charges according to the Cook County State’s Attorney. Ian Covey fatally shot 26-year-old Jemel Roberson outside of a suburban Chicago bar in Robbins, Illinois will not face charges after the Attorney’s Office has “concluded that the totality of evidence is insufficient to support criminal charges.”
“While this conclusion may not be the result that many have hoped for, I can assure you that this investigation was conducted with the highest level of scrutiny,” Foxx told CBS 2 Chicago.
The incident took place on November 11, 2018 when Roberson was working at the bar around 4 a.m. Roberson and other security guards started removing customers from the bar once an altercation started. The incident escalated and several people fired gun shots both inside and outside the establishment.
On Nov. 11, 2018, Roberson was working at the bar when an altercation broke out at around 4 a.m. At that time Roberson and other security guards began removing customers from the bar. The altercation escalated, and multiple individuals fired several shots both inside and outside the building. Robbins officers who arrived at the bar called for backup from nearby police departments.
Officer Covey was one of those officers from the Midlothian Police Department. Covey encountered Roberson, described as “wearing all black clothing with no identifying markings,” who was holding a man to the ground outside of the bar. Witnesses and Roberson’s family, however, said he was wearing a shirt and that read “security,” and people on the scene told Covey that Roberson was in fact a security guard.
Roberson was holding a gun and didn’t respond to Covey’s commands to drop the weapon, according to the memorandum. Covey fired four shots, striking Roberson four times in the back and side because he believed the security guard was the shooter. Roberson was pronounced dead later that morning.
A body camera captured another security guard speaking to a police officer: “[Covey] comes up, inside the f—— club, with his rifle pointed at every f—— body. [Roberson] had his gun still out, holding the offender on the ground … [Covey told] him to drop his gun.”
The guard went on to say Covey shot Roberson after finding out he was a security guard. He said he told Covey to “cool out, he’s working with us” but Covey “shot him four or five times after we told [Covey that Roberson] is with us.”
Covey was placed on administrative leave after the shooting.
“The evidence at any trial would include evidence indicating that when Mr. Roberson did not acknowledge or follow Officer Covey’s verbal commands to get down and drop the gun, it was not unreasonable for Officer Covey to believe that Mr. Roberson was the active shooter on the scene,” the memorandum reads.
“The evidence established that Officer Covey’s use of force was objectively reasonable.”
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