August 14, 1999. Chicago (South Side):
Kelsey was gunned down in the early morning hours by an off-duty corrections officer. According to the medical report, he was shot 14 times. Police first claimed this was an attempted car-jacking. Later, they claimed that it was an attempted robbery and that Kelsey fired at the corrections officer. Witnesses maintained that there had been an altercation between the officer and Kelsey inside The Other Place Lounge, and that the officer shot Kelsey as the latter attempted to walk away. Witnesses also said that a gun was thrown down on Kelsey's body. No evidence of gunpowder was found on Kelsey's hands. According to Kelsey's wife, Gwendolyn, her husband was "a character and touched a lot of people. He had a social spirit. he was a good person and made people laugh." He was a proud father of a 14-month-old son.

July 12, 1999. Harvey (Reservation Apartments):
Mr. Nelson was shot in the back of the head and killed by a Harvey police officer during a random drug sweep in the parking lot of the Reservation Apartments around 1:30 a.m. Six or seven officers surrounded the complex with guns drawn and ordered everyone down on the ground. Mr. Nelson fled. Cops claim he turned and pointed a gun at an officer, who then shot him. But the physical evidence contradicts this. The medical examiner's office found that the police bullet entered through the back of his head. A 13-year-old girl who witnessed the whole incident said that as Mr. Nelson fled, he tripped and was shot as he flailed his arms in an attempt to regain his balance. Then, the cop who shot Mr. Nelson planted a gun on him after the shooting. The witness reported seeing the cop take a gun off his own leg, where it had been strapped with duct tape, put it briefly in the victim's hand, and then lay it next to the victim's body. The mayor of Harvey dismissed out of hand the idea that the gun was planted, saying, "From all indications it was what we call a 'good shot.' The officer was doing his job and responded properly." The victim's family reported that police in the area are overly aggressive and had come through the housing complex looking for drugs the day before. A neighbor who confronted the police right after the incident and accused them of murdering Mr. Nelson was beaten and arrested. Cops broke into his apartment by smashing a patio window and injured his one-year-old daughter when they picked her up by the shirt and tossed her.

June 18, 1999. Chicago (Area 5 jail):
Mr. Torres was found dead, hanging in his jail cell. Police claimed it was a suicide, but eyewitnesses reported that the police strangled him and then wrapped his shirt around his neck to fake a hanging. No one who knew Mr. Oviedo believes that he killed himself. When his sister went to identify his body, she was only allowed to see his face through a window. She was not allowed to see the rest of his body. Cops also refused to show her the domestic abuse complaint under which he had been arrested. After she appeared on TV to talk about his case, she was contacted by several other families whose loved ones supposedly hung themselves with their own t-shirts in the same lock-up.

June 14, 1999. Chicago (South Side):
Police claim that Mr. Riley was a drug dealer. Cops arrested and handcuffed him. Witnesses report that a cop then put his knee into the victim's back and strangled him with a chokehold. The cops stood around and watched him die. When an ambulance came into view, they started giving him CPR. The mayor defended the police, telling people to "wait for the facts," and said, "Narcotics is the No. 1 issue in the city of Chicago.... Let's allow the Police Department to do their job." The medical examiner's office ruled that Mr. Riley's death was caused by "asphyxia due to compression of the neck and chest."

June 5, 1999. Chicago (Dan Ryan Expwy, near 28th St.):
Mr. Russ was pulled over by Chicago police on a deserted stretch of road around 1 a.m. for allegedly "driving erratically." He was unarmed and on his way to his parents' suburban home. Cops claim he refused to get out of the car, so they reportedly smashed a tinted side window behind his head, reached in, and shot him to death. Later, a secret police report leaked to the press revealed that the cops had opened the unlocked passenger-side door of Mr. Russ's car and had him in full sight when he was shot from the rear. Their story about smashing his rear window to see him was a lie. Authorities claimed he tried to grab the officer's gun and that it went off accidentally during a struggle. Mr. Russ's death was quickly ruled "accidental and justified." The mayor's response was to justify the murder and to call for banning tinted windows. Police and the media also tried to portray the victim as violent because of a previous guilty plea to an assault charge. Cops told the Mr. Russ's family that the bullet went through his shoulder and pierced his heart, but family members said that it would be difficult for him to be shot at such an angle during a struggle due to his large size (6'4", 235 pounds). Robert Russ was senior at Northwestern University, an honors student majoring in education, set to graduate in two weeks. He was a football player on Northwestern's Big 10 championship team, and his girlfriend was pregnant with their first child. One of his professors, Martha Biondi, wrote in the Chicago Tribune, "Robert's death sends a message to young people that even if they are fortunate enough to come to a place like Northwestern, it's still not enough to escape the perils of being black.... Because he had a previous encounter with the law, some in the media have used his death to reinforce another paradigm: that of the criminal, less than human, African-American young man. We must resist these responses to Robert's death.... One reason why young black men are dehumanized in these situations is to force the public into identifying with the police... I, and others here at Northwestern, urge the public to see Robert as their son or brother, to affirm his humanity and to demand that the police refrain from shooting unarmed motorists." Robert Russ was killed only six hours after Chicago police killed LaTanya Haggerty, a young unarmed Black woman motorist. These two cases sparked a great deal of public outrage, leading to near-daily demonstrations. Students and professors from Northwestern joined people from the community at a demonstration at city hall a week later. One hundred and forty professors and staff from Northwestern signed a public letter to Chicago's mayor denouncing his defense of police murder. Two weeks after the incident, amid continuing protests, the police commissioner announced that police involved had violated departmental policy by knocking out Mr. Russ's car window with a lug wrench.

June 4, 1999. Chicago (King Dr. & 64th St.):
Ms. Haggerty was a passenger in a car driven by her friend, Ray Smith. She was getting a ride home from her job downtown as a computer analyst. Mr. Smith had pulled over to the side of the road, and cops told him to move on. When he did, cops zoomed up behind him. Mr. Smith stopped, told them that he hadn't done anything wrong and drove off again. Three cops opened fire on the car and then began chasing it. When Mr. Smith pulled over a mile later, cops arrested and beat him. Ms. Haggerty was on her cell phone trying to reach Mr. Smith's mother when cops ordered her out of the car. She was scared and moved slowly. The press initially claimed that she refused to get out. As she got out with her hands in the air, police shot her dead. Cops claimed that they saw the victim "brandish something shiny" and that they thought she had a gun, but she was unarmed. Ms. Haggerty was the first of her working class family to go to college. She was living at home and engaged to be married. She was killed around 5:30 p.m. About six hours later, Chicago police shot and killed Robert Russ, an unarmed young Black man. There was widespread outrage at these two killings, leading to near-daily demonstrations. A protest against police brutality was held at city hall a week later. The mayor of Chicago told people to withhold judgment until they had "the facts," and the police denied that racism played any role in Ms. Haggerty's murder on the grounds that the cop who shot her was also Black. Two weeks after the incident, amid continuing protests, the police commissioner said the cops involved in the case had violated departmental policy by not calling off the pursuit of Mr. Smith's car when ordered to do so.

February 27, 1999. Chicago (South Side):
Thomas Smith was shot and killed by police responding to a domestic call involving Mr. Smith and a woman. Mr. Smith allegedly had a butcher knife in his hand when police arrived. Police claim he refused to drop the weapon on command and lunged at a lieutenant. Cops shot him once in the stomach. He died in surgery at the hospital.

February 12, 1999. Harold Ickes Housing Project:
At 10 p.m. on Feb. 11, 1999 witnesses say Raynard ran into 2310 S. State at the Chicago Housing Authority's Harold Ickes housing development. He was chased up to the seventh floor and shot 15 times by police. The Chicago Police Department version of events is that they were "called to the scene, saw a suspect with a weapon, gave chase, trapped the suspect and ordered him to drop the weapon." They claim that Raynard advanced toward police with a 38-caliber revolver before he was shot and killed. The gun Raynard supposedly had in his possession at the time has "yet to be recovered." Raynard's stepfather said, "They hunted my boy down and shot him like a dog and I want to know why... nothing justifies shooting my boy like that." Raynard was outgoing and loved by many people. He loved basketball, football and dancing. Six hundred people attended his funeral.

January 26, 1999. Chicago (Portage Park):
Police were called to Linda's Lounge in the 4200 block of N. Milwaukee Ave. to investigate a fight involving Mr. Kalabza and another man. It was reported that the bartender had called for police, warning that "one of the brawlers had a gun". When police arrived, they shot Mr. Kalabza in the head and chest, claiming he fired at a Chicago police sergeant with a .25 caliber pistol. Mr. Kalabza was pronounced dead at the hospital.

December 18, 1998. Chicago (2137 N. Leamington):
Francisco Morales was shot and killed by Chicago police. Cops were reportedly responding to a domestic dispute call saying that Francisco refused to put down a knife he used to stab his girlfriend. Francisco was from the countryside of Veracruz, Mexico. One and a half years ago, he came to Chicago and worked in a lobster factory. His girlfriend had come to live with him, but when she got to Chicago, she changed her mind. That was when Francisco reportedly attacked her. A friend from Veracruz felt that while Francisco was guilty of trying to attack his girlfriend, the police could have disarmed and detained him without killing him.

November 28, 1998. Cabrini Green Housing Projects:
Chicago police pulled up to a building in the Cabrini Green Housing Projects and tried to question Brennan King. He fled into another building where cops cornered him. Cops claim they shot and killed Brennan in "self defense" because he allegedly slashed the cop with a box cutter. But this was clearly a lie as Brennan was shot in the back. Residents brought out that it was a typical night at Cabrini, where it is routine for police to harass people, especially young men. Brennan just happened to be out there when the cops pulled up. Residents said that the cop cut himself after killing Brennan in order to have a cover story because the young men at Cabrini do not carry box cutters. Women heard Brennan in the stairwell asking the cops not to kill him before six shots rang out. An ambulance soon arrived, but the police would not allow Brennan to be taken to the hospital. Instead, they used the ambulance to smuggle out the police. No box cutter was ever recovered. Residents and activists held press conferences and protest marches the following week. Fifteen hundred people attended Brennan's funeral. Brennan was known and respected throughout the Cabrini Green area, including both sides of the border that divides rival street organizations. He had become active in the movement for social change, marching for Mumia Abu Jamal, against police brutality and for jobs. He had participated in the October 22 National Day of Protest to Stop Police Brutality only a month before he was killed. At the same time, he shouldered the responsibility of caring for his younger siblings and his own children.

September 9, 1998. Chicago (25th District holding cell):
Mr. Reyes and a friend were riding their bikes when Chicago police arrested them, claiming that the friend had stolen a car stereo. Mr. Reyes was not charged in connection with the theft but was held to see if he had any outstanding warrants. Other prisoners reported that he was in good spirits. He knew that he had no outstanding warrants and would be out soon. A Black guard was verbally abusive to him and his friend. Later, Mr. Reyes appeared to be in a troubled state and said he wasn't going to get out of the lock-up alive. His family heard nothing of his whereabouts until two days later when they were informed of his death. Cops claim he hung himself with his t-shirt, but his family believes there was foul play on the part of the authorities.

September 7, 1998. Chicago (Robert Taylor Homes):
Lavell Jones was shot and killed by police at Robert Taylor Homes housing development. Police claim that he was running toward 5041 S. Federal, then turned and allegedly pointed a 9-mm semiautomatic pistol at the officers. A cop sitting on the passenger side of his squad car fired one shot, killing Lavell. The killing was ruled justifiable because, according to a Chicago Police Department spokesperson, when "somebody pulls a gun on a police officer, (the officer) has a right to use deadly force."

August 30, 1998. Chicago (West Side):
Mr. Contreras was fatally shot by Chicago police at El Zacatecas Restaurant after allegedly pointing a gun at two officers. Mr. Contreras was reportedly seen waving a pistol and threatening patrons at a restaurant, demanding to know who had taken his van. As he left the restaurant, tactical officers patrolling nearby claim they heard him fire the gun into the air and arrived to find patrons fleeing the restaurant. Mr. Contreras then got into the passenger side of a truck when police arrived, and the truck drove off. Police followed the truck, stopped it two blocks away and approached with guns drawn. Mr. Contreras, who was in the passenger seat, allegedly pointed his gun at the officers. The cops killed Contreras and wounded the driver of the truck.

July 6, 1998. Chicago (Southeast Side):
Mr. Ali was shot twice in the chest and killed by police after he allegedly grabbed an officer's gun during a scuffle. Cops were responding to a call of a man lying on a lawn of someone's house in the 9100 block of South Paxton Avenue around 7 a.m. Edward supposedly claimed it was his house even though it was not, prompting a neighbor to call the police. Cops claim that Edward refused their order to leave, was "verbally abusive," scuffled with cops, grabbed an officer's gun and pointed it at the cop, at which point the cop's partner opened fire. A preliminary finding determined that the shooting was justifiable as self-defense.

May 16, 1998. Chicago:
Latanya King was shot and killed by her husband, Chicago Housing Authority Police Officer Marvin King, who then shot and killed himself in an apparent murder-suicide.

May 14, 1998. Riverdale (suburb of Chicago):
Police reportedly responded to a 911 call about a man with a gun roaming an apartment building. When they found Terrance in the area, they shot him in the face at close range and killed him, claiming he had a screwdriver. Later, it was confirmed that Terrance had nothing in his hands at all. The victim's family said he had been the target of police harassment and was repeatedly threatened by the police prior to his death. On the night he was killed, police had chased him for some distance before cornering and shooting him. Terrance was a junior at Park Forest Academy and had an 18-month-old daughter. His mother described him as a typical, loving kid and said he did not have a gun. There were a number of rallies at the Riverdale police department and marches through the neighborhood to protest his murder.

May 3, 1998. Burnham:
Jair was shot and killed by police during a "routine traffic stop" of two cars in the 14500 block of S. Hoxie Ave. Cops claim that some of the men in the cars opened fire and a shootout ensued, injuring a cop and killing Jair. The cop's injuries, though only minor, were thoroughly discussed in the newspaper report, while the killing of this young man was only mentioned in passing.

May 2, 1998. Burnham:
Police say that the officer was trying to stop two cars for a traffic offense when one man jumped out of a car and allegedly fired shots at the officer. The officer returned fire, killing one and wounding the other in the buttocks.

April 30, 1998. Chicago (Washington Park):
Joe was shot and killed by two Chicago police officers after he fled from a traffic stop on foot and then allegedly pointed a gun at the cops. Police stopped the car around 3:30 p.m. near Garfield Blvd. & Prairie Ave. and removed the driver and two passengers when Joe got out of the back seat and began to walk away. When they called for him to stop, he started to run. Two cops chased him on foot while one chased him in a car. Joe allegedly pointed a gun at the cop in the car. The officer took "evasive action" and hit him with the car. Witnesses said that Joe was knocked forward several feet by the impact of the car, causing him to drop his gun. Cops claim that he appeared "combative" and refused repeated orders to drop his gun. Witnesses, however, disputed the police account, saying Joe was not holding a gun when he was shot. One witness said, "The gun was loose from his hands. He didn't try to get up at all. You figure they're trained properly and they could have arrested him without shooting him." Joe's aunt accused the police of harassing her nephew and said they shot him without provocation: "Joe was a kid who had a hard life. He got into some trouble and he tried to straighten out his life. The police kept messing with him. They've harassed him." A friend of Joe's said, "He was a good guy. He wasn't into gang banging. He carried a gun because he wanted to be protected, just like everyone else."

April 5, 1998. Cabrini Green Housing Projects:
Michael Russell was shot in the back and killed by the Chicago Police Department at the 500/502 W. Oak building in the Cabrini Green housing projects. Police claimed that Michael shot at them first, but no traces of gunpowder were found on his hands and a gun was never recovered. Witnesses strongly dispute police accounts and assert that Police Officer Kenny Knowles executed Michael as he was running, unarmed, into 500 W. Oak. According to witnesses, Officer Knowles had threatened to kill Michael shortly after he had been released from jail two months earlier. As Michael lay bleeding in the stairwell, the cops waved off the first ambulance that arrived on the scene. Another young man shot by the cops at the same time as they shot Michael has been charged with Michael's murder. This murder came the same week as a court hearing in eviction proceedings against the residents of 500/502 W. Oak. Residents are trying to stay in their building in the face of the city's attempt to remove them so the building can be demolished. Officer Knowles had also been strutting around the building the week before threatening people and trying to discourage them from fighting against evictions and the demolition of their building. Michael was the third person killed by the Chicago Police Department that week. Residents staged a three-and-a-half hour protest at the building the next evening to demand justice for Michael. A press conference was held to condemn his murder.

April 3, 1998. Chicago (West Side):
Mr. Ellis was shot after he allegedly tried to run over two Chicago police officers. Officers had pulled over a van in the 5500 block of W. Jackson Blvd. for "suspicious driving," and claim they saw a handgun in the driver's lap. Mr. Ellis drove off. Officers in pursuit reportedly saw Mr. Ellis throw the handgun out the van's window. Officers claimed they recovered the gun. Mr. Ellis' van crashed into several parked cars. As the two officers approached , Mr. Ellis allegedly backed the van towards them "and attempted to run down the officers ... One of those officers fired a single shot into the van, apparently striking the driver in the upper right side." Mr. Ellis continued driving, crashed and was arrested. He died at the hospital.

April 2, 1998. Chicago:
Chicago police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) arranged for an informant to buy guns and heroin across from a high school. When the sellers tried to rob the informant, police and ATF opened fire on the two men, killing one and wounding another. Parents protested to the ATF, saying that the operation put their kids in danger.

April 1, 1998. Chicago (Northwest Side):
Police claim that Gregory was "causing a disturbance" at the Jefferson Park CTA station and then fled. As cops chased him, he allegedly turned and fired one shot at the officers but missed. A plainclothes detective who heard the radio report of the chase pulled alongside Gregory, who was still running. Gregory allegedly shot at the detective and missed. The officer shot and killed him. A .357 caliber handgun was reportedly recovered near his body.

February 20, 1998. Chicago:
The alleged stolen car Jessie was driving and the police car chasing it collided in the 100 block of North Hamlin Avenue. Police claim that Jessie sped up to run over a cop when the officer got out of his car and walked towards the front of Jessie's car. Police shot Jessie twice in the head. The victim's family brought out that he had been chased by 15 squad cars, that he was unarmed and that no Black cops were on the scene. Jessie was arrested, and even though he was in a coma for a week and a half until he died on Mar. 3, there was a cop stationed in his hospital room the whole time. Before he died, Jessie was charged with attempted murder and aggravated possession of a stolen vehicle in order to justify this police murder. The shooting took place in the afternoon.

February 18, 1998. Chicago (South Side, Chicago Lawn District):
Chad Edwards was shot in the head by Officer Raymond Wilke. Police say they were responding to a call of possible burglary when Chad allegedly burst out of a closet in a neighbor's home holding a pair of pliers. Cops claim that they announced their presence a few times but that the victim did not respond. According to Chad's mother, Chad and his girlfriend were visiting the neighbor's house with permission when the police entered unannounced. Chad was shot when he went to the doorway to investigate the noise. He was unarmed. While hospitalized in critical condition, police charged him with criminal trespass and aggravated assault. The shooting was ruled justifiable homicide. Perhaps the cops felt that filing charges helped justify the shooting of this young man. Chad died three days later, on Feb., 21, of his injuries.

January 29, 1998. Chicago:
Michelle was killed when an unmarked police car pursuing a suspected rapist crashed into her car.

January 18, 1998. Chicago (West Side):
Kevin Morris was shot in the back of his head and thigh and killed by an off-duty Chicago police officer moonlighting as a security guard at a night club. Kevin had been invited to a birthday party at the lounge. The cops claim the killing, which occurred on the street outside the night club, resulted from a fight inside the club. A witness reported that security guards burst out of the lounge just as Kevin was exiting. Kevin got scared and fled to a friend's car. Kevin was chased by the officer and shot as he entered the automobile. The tires of the car were also shot out which prevented his friends from driving Kevin to a hospital. No ambulance was summoned. Twenty four hours later, the Cook County state's attorney's office ruled the incident justifiable homicide. Kevin's father declared, "It's plain murder. He was shot in the back of the head, which means he was running away from them. There was no threat." Kevin's grandfather said a witness to the murder told him that Kevin had no part in the fight and was merely standing with his friends when security guards burst out of the club with their guns drawn. Kevin got scared at the sight of the guns and fled toward a friend's car. Kevin's parents and community activists demanded that the cop, whose name has not been released, be held accountable for Kevin's murder. The cops, however, claim that they do not know who shot Kevin and dismiss the killing as an "isolated incident." In Nov. 1998, Kevin's mother suffered a heart attack as a result of the loss of her son and continues to be in a coma. Kevin had just become a father when he was killed.

January 16, 1998. Cabrini Green Housing Projects:
Police reports claim that Leroy was shot and killed by a rival gang member, but Leroy's mother disputes that. She maintains that her son was shot and killed by the cops during a police sweep in the Cabrini Green housing development. A witness told her that during this sweep, a police officer had taken notice of Leroy's Michael Jordan sneakers and shouted at him to halt. When he reportedly did not respond, they opened fire. A bullet was recovered by the police, but they have withheld any information about it. In the wake of the killing, a family member reported that police bragged that they had shot Leroy. Leroy's mother reports that witnesses have been intimidated from testifying against the cops. She questions the coroner's motive for burning all of Leroy's clothing.

January 7, 1998. Chicago (in custody):
Robert Taylor was in jail. The family was told that he died of an asthma attack, but when they went to see his body, his face was bruised and swollen as if he had been beaten to death. The autopsy done by the jail ruled his cause of death as "undetermined," and authorities refused to let the family have its own medical expert examine the body. Robert's family is trying to his body exhumed for an independent autopsy.

November 18, 1997. Skokie:
Jack was the founder of the North Shore Coalition Against Adulticiding, an environmental group that worked to stop the practice of spraying flying mosquitoes. The group believed that this caused cancer and other medical problems for people. Jack was a well-known and well-respected environmental activist and his death was listed as one of the top ten stories in the Pioneer Press, a local newspaper, for two years in a row. After his death, he was given the Citizen Initiative Award by the Citizen Advocacy Center. On the day he was killed, Jack was in court to testify for his mother about a traffic ticket. He got into a dispute with Cook County sheriff's deputies after waiting hours to testify. According to newspaper reports, sheriff deputies pinned him to the ground after he refused to leave the courtroom. He stopped breathing shortly thereafter and died. In a letter, Marcella Richman, Jack's mother, wrote to the Cook County Courthouse saying, "Jack was crippled and compelled to use a cane for support as a result of a leg injury... He was bent over, experienced excruciating pain, having a herniated disc as a result of an auto accident at age 16 and suffered with a severe case of sciatica. He weighed approximately 450 lbs.... He was barely able to walk. He had no record of wrongdoing. He never even received a parking ticket. He did not drink or smoke, nor was he on drugs. I am the tormented mother never to forget the scene. Never to forgive myself for being powerless to help my son, for not blindly attacking the Bailiffs in at least an attempt to help him. Unable to sleep nights, waking up in a cold sweat to cry throughout the night." In another statement to an attorney, she described the events the day her son was killed: "I yelled to that crazy judge that Jack was ill and in pain and that they (the henchmen) would hurt him but he did nothing or said nothing to stop them. The eight [deputies] continued to apply excessive restraint of Jack's body (which does not leave bruises) and continued to attempt to force regular size handcuffs onto his wrists (while he screamed in pain), an action which did badly cut up and bruise his wrists and forearms. He fell to the floor with the eight still on him. Those eight guards used excessive force on a sick crippled person. When I asked one of them the next day, 'I told you he was sick and in pain. Why didn't you leave him alone?', his answer was simply, 'We were following orders!' My comment, 'Orders to kill!'" Jack's mother filed an excessive force complaint against the Cook County sheriffs.

August 10, 1997. Chicago (West Side):
The Chicago Police Department claims that Andrew was stealing cars when police intervened. They insisted that Andrew grabbed for a policewoman's gun and it "discharged by accident." But eyewitnesses maintain that Andrew was hanging out in a parking lot when cops drove up on them and ordered him and his friend over to the car. Instead, the two took off in opposite directions. The officer chased Andrew, stopped and took aim and shot him in the street. She came up on Andrew, grabbed him, shot him again and was overheard saying, "I shot you, b*tch." Forty five minutes passed before an ambulance came, and by that time Andrew was dead. In the wake of this, a "People's Inquiry" was held at a state senator's office where over 400 people attended.

March 22, 1997. Chicago (West Side):
The hospital reported that Frankie died due to strangulation. On her way home one evening, Frankie was crossing an empty lot when she was stopped by the police. Police claimed they had seen her swallow drugs and tried to get her to spit them up. Witnesses state that police killed her, strangling her to death. Pictures show that that there were bruises on her face and rib cage and her eyes were swollen shut. In the wake of this incident, Frankie's mother witnessed many young men in the neighborhood being harassed by police to intimidate them from speaking out about this. Frankie leaves behind three daughters, ages four, six, and 16 years old.

January 13, 1997. Chicago:
After years of police harassment, Solomon was told by police that they would kill him. A few days later he was arrested. He was found hung in his cell at the 2259 S. Damen police station. Although police claim he hung himself with his shirt, when his body was examined by family members, he was found still wearing his shirt on one arm.

November 23, 1996. Chicago:
Mr. Méndez, a mentally disabled man, was beaten, shot five times in the head and killed, as he lay on the floor, by Chicago Police Officer Davila. Cops claimed that Mr. Méndez was attempting to get hold of a weapon and that he refused orders to stop. Officer Davila was not criminally charged or disciplined in any way. He remained on active duty. The victim's sister described her brother as having the mental age of a ten year old.

October 23, 1996. Chicago:
After being beaten, abused with racial epithets and told by police that he would be killed if he did not move, Angel Castro's family moved. Angel returned to the neighborhood for a friend's birthday party. After leaving the party, a police car rammed him as he rode his bike. As Angel tried to get on his knees, the police shot and killed him.

September 24, 1996. —:
Two detectives without a warrant came to Ashraf's apartment to question him. According to witnesses and members of his masjid (mosque), the cops jumped Ashraf. Fearing for his life, he grabbed one of the cop's guns and tried to run away. He was shot in the back and leg. As he ran up the back staircase to his apartment, a detective shouted, "Shoot that n*gger!" Bilal dropped the weapon, raised his hands, proceeded to walk down the stairs—and was cut down in a hail of bullets. His body was left for two hours before being taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

April 9, 1996. —:
Eric's mom pulled her car off to the side of the expressway in order to better communicate with her son, a deaf mute. His grandmother was also in the car. Upset, Eric ran off into traffic and was grazed by a passing car. Two cops from Forest View, a Chicago suburb, pulled up. They trained a gun to Eric's head and brought him to the side of the road. Eric's attempts to sign were not understood. The cops beat Eric with metal batons and then shot him six times—including with hollow point bullets. The final bullet was delivered while Eric lay on his back. Following the shooting, Eric's mother and grandmother were handcuffed and taken to the police station.

January 22, 1996. —:
After an early morning argument between Hoffman Estates police and his brother, Mr. Smith was hit by police pepper gas and suffered an asthma attack. Later he was admitted to a hospital, where he died from bacteria contaminated blood. Infected urine had leaked into Mr.. Smith's abdominal cavity from a special intestinal sac that surgeons had created to help with a urinary tract problem. A spokesperson for the coroner didn't discount that the leakage could have been caused by a struggle. Before he died, Mr. Smith had complained of being kicked by cops while in jail.

October 3, 1995. —:
Family members called 911 when Mr. Guillén, an immigrant from Honduras, was having schizophrenic hallucinations. When three cops arrived, Mr. Guillén was holding a two-by-four used to keep the door shut. The cops threw him to the floor, beat his head bloody with a flashlight and handcuffed him. One cop stepped on the back of Mr. Guillén's neck. Jorge was asphyxiated as he lay face down in a pool of his own blood. The police department's own Office of Professional Services found the three cops guilty of "excessive and unwarranted" force and recommended short suspensions. The State's Attorney refused to prosecute the cops.

September 29, 1995. —:
Ruffin and his friends had gone over to a wooded area near the back of a Chicago Heights apartment complex where he stayed with his family. Shots rang out and Ruffin was gunned down. He was killed by undercover cops doing drug surveillance.

July 30, 1995. Chicago:
Mr. Gould, a homeless man, was shot at point blank range by off-duty cop Gregory Becker, who drove away without reporting the shooting as his victim lay bleeding to death in the street. Officer Becker was subsequently charged with involuntary manslaughter, but that charge was dismissed by the judge on the grounds of conflicting witness accounts, including Officer Becker's companions' defense of him. Another witness, however, who knew neither of the men, reported that Officer Becker grabbed Mr. Gould and shot him. Because of sustained community pressure, Officer Becker was subsequently charged with involuntary manslaughter and armed violence and was convicted in Apr. 1997. In May, he was sentenced to fifteen years in prison.

April 15, 1995. —:
After a brief car and foot chase, a Chicago Housing Authority cop caught up with Kenny. The cop claimed that Kenny reached into his belt "as if" going for a weapon. The cop shot three times, hitting Kenny once in the head. Kenny fell to the ground, dead. No gun was found at the scene. Hundreds of people protested the murder.

December 24, 1994. —:
In the middle of a police operation to capture a burglar, Mr. Meyers opened up the basement door of his girlfriend's apartment to look out. He was instantly gunned down.

October 16, 1994. —:
With an enlarged heart, cerebral palsy and right-side paralysis from a stroke, Pack was at high risk for "sudden death," according to his doctor. Pack was sitting in his wheelchair in front of his house. Words were exchanged with two plainclothes police who had threatened his dog. The cops struck him in the chest, lifted him out of his wheelchair and threw him into a pillar. Minutes after the cops drove off, Richie was dead.

August 13, 1994. Little Village:
Just after midnight, police showed up while Gilberto and some other youth were spray painting in Chicago's predominantly Mexican-American Little Village neighborhood. Gilberto tried to make a run but was caught and shot to death by cops. The police claimed self-defense. Residents said that Gilberto only had a spray paint can. They also reported that as Gilberto lay dying, the cops did nothing to help him and joked that it was "another Mexican off the streets."

July 30, 1994. —:
Standing with his hands up alongside his van, Mr. Jones was shot to death by a Chicago police officer. Mr. Jones had been stopped on suspicion of possession of stolen merchandise. The cop claimed that his gun went off when the van lurched and struck his arm. Witnesses said that Jones was simply shot "point blank in the head." The shooting was ruled a justifiable homicide.

July 10, 1994. —:
Running down an alley to avoid police harassment, Collins was shot in the back of the neck. The police claimed Collins drew a weapon but witnesses saw no gun in his hand.

February 18, 1994. —:
Mr. Edwards was chased into the basement of an apartment building and shot to death by detectives. The police first claimed that the officer shot in self-defense. The story became that the officer shot after Mr. Edwards pulled out an object that was later discovered to be a piece of a tire. The police department ruled it justifiable homicide.

October 12, 1993. —:
Two plainclothes cops rushed Mr. Keys in his car, mistaking him for a burglar. When Mr. Keys hit the gas, the cops fired nine times and killed him. The police considered it self-defense.

October 5, 1993. —:
At a mental health clinic where he went for treatment, Tommy Yates was involved in a confrontation with a cop. After the cop pulled out his nightstick and aimed his revolver, Mr. Yates asked, "What are you going to do, shoot me?" The cop pulled the trigger and killed him. The cop claimed that it was an accident.

June 20, 1993. —:
The night of the Chicago Bulls' "3-peat" basketball win, Michael was running through a shopping center when a shot rang out and he fell dead. Witnesses reported seeing the arm of a cop, gun in hand, in motion. The cop was immediately whisked away from the scene in a squad car. The police department labeled Michael's death as "unsolved."

August 7, 1992. —:
Lucas was attacked by a Chicago Housing Authority guard at the Harold Ickes projects. The guard put Bo in a bear hug, body slammed him to the ground, picked him up and then dropped him head first onto the pavement. Though Bo was unconscious, with blood coming from his mouth, the guard handcuffed him—as well as a woman who tried to give Bo CPR. By the time he reached the hospital, Bo was dead. Hundreds protested Bo's murder, and some of the steel doors to the project's locked-down buildings were torn down.

December 7, 1991. Robert Taylor Homes:
During a scuffle at the Robert Taylor Homes, Chicago Housing Authority guards fired their guns into the air. Mr. Hightower tried to run away but was shot in the back by a guard. The guard claims that "Fifo" was reaching for a gun, but no gun was ever found.

June 27, 1991. Hoffman Estates:
Ricky Allen was in the middle of a dispute, chasing a man outside his family's apartment in the Chicago suburb of Hoffman Estates. A cop arrived and killed Mr. Allen with a shot to the neck. The cop claimed that Mr. Allen was about to stab the man. Witnesses, including a paramedic, said they never saw Allen with a knife.

April 25, 1991. —:
Fred Killingsworth was reportedly acting erratic, talking to himself and walking into the street in his neighborhood. Police who came onto the scene used force to subdue him. Witnesses saw them strike Mr. Killingsworth with flashlights and put their foot to his neck. The cops left Mr. Killingsworth lying on his stomach, hands and feet both cuffed, with blood coming from his nose and the back of his head. An ambulance was called after he stopped breathing.

December 31, 1990. —:
Hugh Santee lay injured on the street after being struck by a car. Before anyone could help, a police car in a high-speed chase ran over Mr. Santee and killed him. The cop driver, who never stopped, later said that he thought he hit some "garbage."

May 22, 1990. —:
Chicago Housing Authority guards claimed that Mr.Scott was shot while fleeing, after an exchange of gunfire with the guards. Residents who witnessed the incident insisted that "Rock," who was shot in the back, never fired on the guards.

May 8, 1990. —:
A Chicago Housing Authority guard claimed that he was accompanying a maintenance crew when someone put a gun to his head. The guard said he disarmed the man and then chased him up a crowded staircase. The guard admitted that it was too dark to see the fleeing man's face, but the guard fired his gun anyway and killed Trinity Bowman.

March 1, 1990. —:
Marshall Levy was caught by the police, suspected of trying to pass off a stolen money order. When the cops were finished with him, Mr. Levy's head was bashed in with a cop's revolver. Mr. Levy died shortly after being admitted to the hospital. When asked what happened, a cop told hospital personnel, "Well, he resisted arrest."

September 10, 1989. —:
Police Officer Lowell "Six Point" Hartfield squeezed off two rounds into Leonard's skull while he had his hands held up above his head. Hartfield, who had a notorious reputation for doing shakedowns and brutalizing people, reportedly had it in for Leonard. Five hundred people went out into the streets to fight the police and demand justice for Leonard.

March 1, 1989. —:
It began as a car chase and ended with a foot race, as Davison ran up the back steps of a building in an effort to escape the police over a possible speeding ticket. The cop claimed he was forced to shoot when Eugene turned and lunged with a screwdriver. The medical examiner's report showed that Eugene was shot in the back at close range -- "execution style," in the words of the family's lawyer.

June 1997. Chicago (Humboldt Park):
An alleged shoot-out between rival street organizations was interrupted by the police. When the cops yelled freeze, everyone ran away. Anthony Vegas was shot four or five times and killed by the police as he ran away.

April 1996. Chicago (Humboldt Park):
Angel was allegedly selling pot on the corner. When two cops, one Black and one white, came to arrest him, he ran. When they caught up with him, they beat him to death. As they beat him, they called him a "n*gger."

Summer, 1995. Chicago (near Western & 21st St.'s):
Christian had supposedly shot at some gang members. Police came up on him and shot him dead, claiming he fired first. But witnesses say that he did not.

May (?), 1992 or 1993. Chicago:
Thomas supposedly had a gun. Police chased him after they broke up an alleged gang fight. Cops shot Thomas in the back of his head and in the back and killed him as he fled.