Elk Grove Village reaches $10.5M settlement with family of man shot, killed by police
Family said 24-year-old Jack Murray was having mental health crisis; man shot while holding knife
ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill. (WLS) -- Elk Grove Village has reached a $10.5 million settlement in a fatal police shooting involving a 24-year-old man.
The settlement is described as potentially the largest in Illinois for a police-involved shooting, where the person killed was not a bystander.
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Village officials announced the settlement at a board meeting, while continuing to defend the actions of the officers involved, saying the agreement was driven by insurance carriers. The response drew sharp criticism from the victim's family and their attorneys.
"We are truly fractured. We are broken. And that can never be fixed," said Donna Murray, the mother of Jack Murray.
The shooting occurred about two and a half years ago, after police responded to a 911 call placed by Murray himself.
"There's somebody acting erratic with a knife. And he seems dangerous. And he's going to hurt someone," the caller said.
Body camera footage captured the encounter, with officers instructing him, "Jack, put your hands up, Jack."
Video shows officers first using a Taser before opening fire, as Murray walked outside his home holding a knife in his right hand.
The Cook County State's Attorney's Office declined to bring charges against the officers. The Murray family later filed a lawsuit, contending their son was experiencing a mental health crisis and was well known to responding officers. They alleged officers disregarded their own policies and training.
"They admitted under oath that they had time. They had time to use de-escalation and communication techniques, but they admitted they chose not to," said Joshua Levin, an attorney with Romanucci & Blandin.
Mayor Craig Johnson reiterated his support for the officers during the meeting announcing the settlement.
"I am beyond disappointed with the outcome, given that our officers were completely exonerated," Johnson said. "I commend them for following the appropriate protocols that they've been taught."
Attorneys representing the Murray family criticized those remarks.
"It never had to happen. He still doesn't see it. He's tone deaf," said Anthony Romanucci, founding partner of Romanucci & Blandin. "Officers must follow the rules. And if they don't, there's accountability."
The officers who fired the shots were not disciplined and remain employed by the Elk Grove Village Police Department.
