Investigation continues into police shooting and killing man in Blue Island
CHICAGO (CBS) -- An investigation into a man shot and killed by Blue Island police.
He was found sleeping in a car early this morning. CBS 2's Andrew Ramos reports from Blue Island where it started as a well-being check that spiraled out of control.
Police said it's what a 21-year-old man did upon waking up, that led an officer to open fire. They said he reached for a gun a claim that is now being investigated by Illinois State Police.
"People were yelling and stuff, and I saw this big old flash, and then I just heard people screaming."
Yelissa Allen was among the residents on a quiet block in Blue Island who woke up to find a frenzy of police activity outside her door.
Police said it was just after 1:35 a.m. when officers responded to the area outside 2015 Broadway after someone called 911 to report a suspicious vehicle.
The caller, according to police, reported seeing the drivers-side door ajar and a man inside unresponsive. When officers approached the grey Range Rover, they said they discovered an AR-15 pistol in the front passenger seat.
Police said when they woke the man up, he reached for the front passenger seat, leading an officer to fire one round, striking him in the torso.
A neighbor who spoke to CBS 2 over his Ring intercom described what happened next.
"You can tell they were moving with a sense of urgency. Because they were all running toward the scene, I thought a police officer got shot," said the man.
In footage obtained by CBS 2 which we are choosing not to air, officers are seen performing CPR on the man, who has since been identified by Legal Help Firm as 21-year-old William Burress.
He was transported to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn where he died from his injuries. As the investigation continues, some residents are questioning whether the appropriate action was taken by officers.
"I just feel, like, there could've been like other steps taken," Allen said.
While many questions remain unanswered, a neighbor who spoke to CBS 2 off-camera confirmed that Burress is a tenant in the building near where the shooting happened and said she has seen him sleep in his vehicle in the past.
The Illinois State Police Public Integrity Task Force has initiated an independent investigation into the incident.
