Family Of Man Killed By Police Claim He Was Unarmed, Shot In Back
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The family of Maurice Granton Jr. was demanding answers after a Chicago police officer shot and killed him Wednesday night in Bronzeville. Granton's loved ones said the father of two was unarmed and shot in the back.
Police have said Granton, 24, pulled out a gun during a foot chase, and was shot during an "armed encounter."
According to police, narcotics officers approached Granton around 8:15 p.m. near 47th and Prairie, and he ran away. As officers gave chase and ordered him to stop, Granton allegedly pulled out a gun, and an officer shot him.
Granton was taken to the University of Chicago trauma center, where he was pronounced dead.
Granton's family questioned the police account of the shooting. They said Granton was shot in the back, and would not have been carrying a gun.
"I wasn't able to see the back, because he was laying of course on his back, but there was no blood stains, anything on the front," said Granton's sister, Joanna Varnado. "He was shot in the back. I don't think. I know he was shot in the back."
Police said they recovered a weapon at the scene, but Tayshia Shaw, the mother of his two children, denied Granton had a gun.
"He didn't have no gun on him. He has two kids to live for, so he wouldn't do anything dumb. He come home to his kids every night," she said. "That's not his personality. He wouldn't even chance his life doing that, knowing he has two very young kids to come home to."
Granton was a father of two girls; a 7-month-old and a 1-year-old.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability said it has been notified of the shooting, and began interviewing witnesses Wednesday night.
Shaw said the family is planning a candlelight vigil at the scene of the shooting Thursday night.
"We have witnesses who seen him get shot in the back. So we have witnesses. At the candlelight. we're gonna try and get some of the witnesses," she said. "We're going to get answers, and he's going to get justice. There's no probably."
The officer who shot Granton has been placed on administrative leave for 30 days.
A police sergeant suffered a possible broken ankle during the chase, and was treated at the hospital.
