Black man sues city and Chicago police officers over shooting

From [HERE] A Chicago man is suing the city and six Chicago police officers because he says he was shot twice “without cause” while he was unarmed in the South Austin neighborhood last August. Richard Keeler filed the lawsuit in the Cook County Circuit Court on Thursday that names the city of Chicago and six police officers.

According to the lawsuit, Keeler was the victim of battery, excessive force, no probable cause for arrest and malicious prosecution. About 3:25 p.m. on Aug. 30, 2011, Keeler was chased into an enclosed stairwell on the 900 block of North Parkside Avenue “without good cause,” according to the lawsuit. Before Keeler was chased and cornered, he violated no law or ordinance, the lawsuit says.

Keeler’s attorney, Michael Hedrick, said Keeler was shot twice by the officers while in the stairwell. One shot took off his right pinky finger while he was blocking his face, Hedrick said, and the other went into his chest.

Keeler was unarmed at the time of the shooting, according to the lawsuit. Keeler was 19 at the time of the incident. The lawsuit alleges the police officers “knowingly and maliciously gave false information to police investigators” after shooting Keeler, eventually leading to his arrest and charge with aggravated assault.

“The police officers shot him twice without just cause, and when they realized they made a mistake, they had the audacity to charge him with aggravated assault,” Hedrick said. “(The charge) is nothing more than an attempt to divert attention away from their police misconduct.”