A police department in suburban Chicago on Friday released officer body camera footage of the fatal shooting of a man inside his apartment.
Isaac Goodlow III died at a hospital after he was shot Feb. 3 in Carol Stream, about 34 miles (55 kilometers) west of Chicago. A family lawyer has said Goodlow was alone and in bed when officers entered his bedroom without identifying themselves and shot him.
Carol Stream police said the footage was released with approval from the Public Integrity Team and the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office.
“We share these videos as part of our commitment to transparency and our intention to give the public a fuller understanding of the events that unfolded that morning,” the department said.
Following the shooting, the police department said on its Facebook page that officers “encountered a tense, uncertain, and rapidly evolving situation, which resulted in officers discharging their weapons at the alleged domestic violence suspect.”
Police have said the 30-year-old Goodlow was shot about 5:11 a.m. as officers responded to a domestic violence incident at the Villagebrook Apartments.
Carol Stream Police Chief Donald Cummings said in a video leading up to the released bodycam footage that officers spoke with Goodlow’s girlfriend, who said the couple had gotten in a physical altercation and that she suffered injuries. She also said her keys still were inside the apartment.
After getting a key from apartment management, officers can be seen approaching the apartment door from a hallway. Once the door was opened, they announced they were police and filed inside, moving toward a closed bedroom door.
Camera footage from officers behind the lead officer shows the bedroom door being kicked in, followed by what appears to be at least two gunshots.
Cummings said two of the six officers fired one shot each, while another officer discharged a Taser. Goodlow was shot once in the chest, Cummings said.
The footage does not show Goodlow’s actions after the door was kicked in and before he was shot.
Following the shooting, officers can be heard telling him “show me your hands.” Goodlow is handcuffed and then turned onto his back as officers begin treating his wound and calling for paramedics.
One officer can be heard telling Goodlow: “I need you to stay with me man. Open your eyes, man.”
The police department says the footage released is all from the body-worn camera recordings “that captured the complete interaction between” Goodlow and the officers. Recorded events that preceded and followed the shootings are expected to be released later following a review by the state’s attorney’s office.
“Once the investigation is completed by the Public Integrity Team, the state’s attorney’s office will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of all forensic evidence, witness accounts, and officer statements to make a determination regarding the actions of those involved,” the police department said.
Attorneys representing Goodlow’s family said Friday in a statement that the videos show an “unarmed Black man, shot and killed in the sanctity of his own bedroom.”
“If shot at close-range and tasing was not enough, the officers handcuffed Isaac without first attempting to provide life-saving measures,” the statement continued. “Isaac bled out and ultimately died. This is yet another unjustifiable and unconscionable tragedy in America.”
Goodlow’s sisters filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against the officers and the police department alleging wrongful death and other counts. The complaint seeks unspecified damages.
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