Civil Rights Attorneys Call for Transparency in Deadly Waukegan Police Shooting

Video playback of the October 27, 2020 press conference held in Waukegan, Illinois by the civil rights attorneys representing 20-year-old Tafara Williams who was shot and seriously injured by police in Waukegan on October 20, 2020. William’s 19-year-old boyfriend, Marcellis Stinnette, was also shot in that encounter and died of his injuries. Williams, who remains hospitalized, spoke about her experience that night, the fear she felt during the encounter with police and the horror of being shot and watching the “love of her life” die, all while covered in her own blood. The two have an infant son, Marcellis Stinnette, Jr., who is 7 months old. Ben Crump Law, Romanucci & Blandin, LLC, Pintas & Mullins and Williams, have called for Waukegan, Illinois police to release all details related to the shooting. The incident began with a conversation with an officer when Williams and Stinnette, two young Black adults, were sitting in a parked car, and escalated to a car collision and multiple shots fired. Williams was shot at least three times and said neither she nor Stinnette were armed and that they did not drive at the officer, as claimed by police. The officer involved in that shooting has been fired by the Waukegan Police Department but has not been charged. Civil Rights Attorneys Ben Crump, Antonio M. Romanucci and William Pintas represent Williams.