After a 25-year-old man was killed in a shooting involving FBI in Chicago’s Homan Park neighborhood on Thursday, his family says they believe the federal agent’s response was unjustified.
A black Escalade riddled with bullet holes on its windshield and drivers’ side was left behind after a shooting involving FBI that broke out around 3 p.m. on the 3700 block of West Lexington Street.
Neighbors and witnesses of the shooting told NBC Chicago they heard flashbangs during the shooting. One witness, who did not want to be identified, said he saw a shootout between the driver of the Escalade and federal agents.
“He was just sitting in the car, they tried to get in the car but couldn’t get in the car,” the witness said. “He came up through the sunroof and started spraying bullets and they sprayed back at him.”
Family members said the driver, a 25-year-old man, was killed in the shooting. Authorities confirmed one person was killed at the scene but did not provide any identifying information as of Thursday night.
A man who says he is the victim’s brother told NBC Chicago he believes the shooting was unjustified.
“He was just in the car and now he’s dead, he didn’t shoot at the police,” the victim’s brother said. “He’s sitting in a car, even if he had a weapon sir, he wasn’t using his weapon, he’s just sitting in the car.”
FBI agents and police scoured the neighborhood for hours after the shooting, collecting dozens of shell casings and searching for security video.
Video captured by NBC Chicago Sky 5 showed dozens of officers and agents in the area, some holding long guns.
A shooting involving an FBI agent prompted a heavy police response in Chicago on Thursday. Randy Gyllenhaal reports.
Chicago police say their officers responded to the scene, but the FBI is leading the investigation.
The FBI Chicago Field Office said the agency is reviewing the agent-involved shooting in a statement on Thursday afternoon.
“The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force members seriously. In accordance with FBI policy, the shooting incident is under review by the FBI’s Inspection Division. As this is an ongoing matter, we have no further details to provide,” the statement said in part.
