A black security guard at a bar in the Chicago suburbs was killed by the police as he apparently tried to detain a man he believed to be involved in a shooting, the authorities said Monday.
Officers from several police departments had responded to reports of a shooting early Sunday morning at Manny’s Luxury Lounge in Robbins, Ill., said Sophia Ansari, a spokeswoman for the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.
Witnesses told the police that a fight had broken out and someone had started shooting. After the authorities responded, a police officer shot the guard, Jemel Roberson, 26, who had a gun. Roberson died at the hospital.
Witnesses said that people in the crowd had yelled to arriving police officers that Mr. Roberson, who was wearing gear that read “Security,” was a guard.
“Everybody was screaming out, ‘Security!’,” said witness Adam Harris. “He was a security guard. And they still did their job, and saw a black man with a gun, and basically killed him.”
This episode happened as many Republican politicians, including President Trump, have responded to mass shootings by calling for more people to protectively carry guns.
Yesterday, Roberson’s mother filed a federal lawsuit against the unnamed officer and the village of Midlothian, alleging that the shooting was unprovoked, unjustified, excessive and unreasonable.
