Justus Howell, 17, was shot twice in the back during a fatal encounter with police in Zion, Illinois, on Saturday, the local coroner has said.
Lake County coroner Thomas Rudd said in a statement that his autopsy had determined Howell suffered two “penetrating gunshot wounds on the torso” – one on the left that penetrated his spleen, liver and heart, and the other on the right that penetrated tissue and his right shoulder.
The toxicology results were pending, the statement added.
Howell was shot by Zion police on Saturday afternoon after officers responded to a 911 call reporting a gunshot at around 1.55pm. According to a statement issued by Zion police, a handgun was found at the scene.
But two eyewitnesses interviewed by the Chicago Sun-Times said they did not see the teenager carrying a weapon.
“I heard the officer tell the other officer: ‘I shot him,’” said local resident Bobbie Vaughn. “They were shaking him, but he didn’t move. He was on his stomach, so they turned him over and the police officer I was with gave him CPR.”
Vaughn told the Sun-Times she remained at the scene of the shooting for a lengthy period of time and did not see the police uncover a weapon. “I didn’t see a gun, no knife, nothing.”
Police said they administered first aid at the scene but Howell was pronounced dead after being taken to a hospital nearby.
Family and community members attended the scene of the shooting on Sunday, according to the Chicago Tribune, which reported that Howell was a high school junior at Lakeshore Academy, outside Chicago.
Police have yet to name the officer who shot Howell and it is unclear if he or she has been placed on administrative leave, the Tribune reported.
Zion police did not respond to a request for comment from the Guardian.
Howell’s mother, LaToya Howell, told the Sun-Times her son had hoped to attend medical school.
“Justus was a young man murdered by Zion police,” she said. “As he was fleeing from police, they killed my son. He couldn’t have been a threat if he was running.”
She added: “He was on the path to becoming a man. He loved to rap and went by the name ‘Lil’ Meachi.”
