Romanucci & Blandin files civil lawsuit against Elk Grove Village, IL and five of its police officers for shooting death of Jack Murray

Officers knew the 24-year-old had a history of emotional distress and they violated their crisis intervention training, using deadly force after only a minute and a half

CHICAGO (May 30, 2024) – A minute and a half. That’s all the time Elk Grove Village Police Officers took from their initial approach of Jack Murray, who was disoriented and had been slurring his words, to the time Jack was fatally shot with five bullets. The tragedy is that officers arriving on the scene acknowledged they knew Jack had a history of emotional distress and that those officers had available to them multiple non-lethal tools and had undergone crisis intervention training. 

Yet despite their resources, knowledge and preparation, officers failed to follow their training and did not utilize any de-escalation tactics and did not provide Jack with the time, physical space and ultimately the desperate assistance he needed. Interestingly, the police discussed de-escalation but miserably failed in the execution of it. 

The betrayal of trust on the part of law enforcement that resulted in Jack’s death, is as troubling as it is tragic. Elk Grove Village, Illinois, Police Department had helped Jack with prior episodes of emotional distress, and when Jack called police on December 1, 2023, he was clearly in a diminished or impaired mental state, slurring his words and was unable to fully answer questions from the 9-1-1 dispatcher. Indeed, the dispatcher heard Jack's father, Tom, state repeatedly that Jack needed help -- not deadly force. However, rather than providing Jack with the help he so desperately needed (help that he was trusting the police to provide to him), the men and women of the Elk Grove Village Police Department, instead, made a concerted effort to withhold from Jack the space, time, and comfort he required in order to overcome the mental health episode he was battling on December 1, 2023 – choosing, instead, to respond with deadly aggression against the young man, ultimately killing him.

In the days immediately following the Jack Murray tragedy, the Elk Grove Village Mayor stated, “Elk Grove Village police officers who responded to the incident… had a combination of crisis intervention team (CIT) training, mental health training, and de-escalation training.” That statement, however, makes Jack’s death even more tragic because officers on the scene were trained in multiple ways yet chose to ignore that training at Jack’s expense. The Mayor has now made himself a witness and an "expert" on policing. We fully intend to explore all of his knowledge and opinions.

Today, Romanucci & Blandin, LLC, announces the filing of a civil lawsuit for the police shooting and death of Jack Murray by members of the Elk Grove Village, Illinois Police Department. The complaint seeks to redress Jack’s wrongful death and hold accountable the Village of Elk Grove, as well as members of its police department, for the numerous negligent decisions that both violated the policies and norms of reasonable policing and common sense, and, too, led to the withholding of any appropriate help or care – care that Jack rightfully deserved. 

The incident involving Jack and members of the Elk Grove Village Police Department occurred on December 1, 2023, just a few doors away from the Murray family home in Elk Grove Village and happened in plain view of both of Jack’s parents.

According to Jack’s family, Jack was a Type 1 Diabetic and he was readily aware of the impact that disease had on his physical and mental health. While not all people experience Type 1 Diabetes in the same ways, Jack experienced both physical and emotional distress with his diagnosis. In the past, Jack had routinely called upon the Elk Grove Village Police Department, asking for help when he felt as though his own health and wellness may be in danger. Too, Jack would occasionally check himself into the hospital for the same reason. It is the understanding of the Murray family that, on December 1, 2023, Jack called police again, which ultimately resulted in five officers responding to the call and, within moments of their arrival, Jack had been shot multiple times, resulting in his death.

In fact, as the complaint details, the officers’ body camera footage indicates their first approach of Jack was after 04:33 p.m. and at 4:35 p.m. officers called in for medical assistance because they had fired multiple shots at Jack.

The lawsuit was filed on May 29, 2024, in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, County Department, Law Division.  Romanucci & Blandin, LLC Founding Partner Antonio M. Romanucci and Attorney Javier Rodriguez, Jr. represent the plaintiff.  

The plaintiff is Donna Murray, Jack’s mother, and, in the litigation, she brings forth her own individual claim, as well as the claims of Jack’s estate, in her capacity as the estate’s Independent Administrator. The defendants are Elk Grove Village, a municipal corporation; and “John Doe” Elk Grove Village Police Officers 1-5, both in their individual capacity and as agents of Elk Grove Village.

Counts in the Complaint include: Willful and Wanton, Wrongful Death; Willful and Wanton, Survival Action; Battery, Wrongful Death; Battery, Survival Action on behalf of the estate of Jack Murray; and Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress on behalf of the plaintiff.  

The complaint demands a jury trial and asks that the jury determine a dollar amount for compensatory damages, punitive damages, pre-judgment and post-judgment interest as allowable by law and as ordered by the Court, attorney fees, reasonable costs and such other relief that the Court deems just and equitable.  

“In a minute and a half, the time it takes to brush your teeth or pick out a shirt and button it up, Elk Grove Village Police went from calling out to Jack Murray to shooting him five times.  The tragedy is that Jack was extremely disoriented, in emotional distress and was stumbling and slurring his words. He was not able to hurt anyone, and the officers on the scene had helped Jack before and knew he occasionally needed their assistance and medical care. Instead of following their crisis intervention training and giving him time and physical space to de-escalate and assess the situation, officers instead used deadly force. Their decisions and impatience cost this young man his life, and forever changed the lives of his family. Our firm, unfortunately, sees tragic outcomes like too often because police fail to reasonably manage calls involving citizens in emotional distress,” said Romanucci & Blandin, LLC Founding Partner Antonio M. Romanucci.   

“Our civil complaint painstakingly details officers’ use of excessive force on Jack, a known emotionally distressed person, and their failure to employ any effective de-escalation tactics to preserve Jack’s life and get him the assistance he needed. The Elk Grove Police Department and its officers had prior encounters with this young man and knew, or should have known, that Jack would experience episodes of emotional distress. Though Jack’s family continues to grieve his loss, they remain steadfast in their call for justice, and it is their firm belief that no family ought to experience the loss that they have been forced to endure on account of the Village of Elk Grove and its police department,” said Romanucci & Blandin, LLC Attorney Javier Rodriguez, Jr. 

“Jack was intelligent, caring, always curious about learning new things, and an incredibly kind person. He was a student at Wright College, working towards his dream of helping people in the medical field. His heart and soul were larger than life. However, he was in emotional distress when he called Elk Grove Village Police that day. EGV Police decided to make an extraordinarily hasty and deadly decision that took our son's life, and the way they did it should scare every one of you. This could be one of your family members or a friend. What went wrong that day? Who decided to fire and fire so many shots? This should have never happened. They took our son, our buddy, our friend, a large part of our life. I am asking our friends and neighbors to stand together for “Justice for Jack.” The Murray family will be moving forward to find ways so this doesn't happen to anyone else. How can we make change so that our people and communities are safe?” said Donna Murray, plaintiff and mother of Jack Murray. 

To learn more, please visit: https://www.rblaw.net/practices-deadly-or-wrongful-shooting.

About Romanucci & Blandin, LLC

Romanucci & Blandin is a Chicago-based national trial practice committed to fighting for victims of negligence, abuse and wrongful death through impact litigation. For more than 25 years, we have secured more than $1 billion in verdicts and settlements for our clients - many for millions of dollars or record-setting awards. Our experience ranges from mass shootings, civil rights and police misconduct to medical malpractice, sexual abuse, motor vehicle accidents or workplace injury cases involving individual or institutional negligence. Romanucci & Blandin is a valuable legal resource to individuals and groups of people who have been injured by others’ wrongdoing. Referring attorneys and clients say several factors distinguish our firm: Our record of success, depth of experience, talented and dedicated legal team, tireless preparation, and strategic use of communications to fight for the rights of those whose lives have been changed forever. We differ from other personal injury firms in that our work does not stop when a verdict or settlement is secured. Our clients’ experiences often inspire us to commit resources to transforming lives and communities. For more information about Romanucci & Blandin, please visit: www.rblaw.net.