WAUKEGAN, In poor health. — A former suburban Chicago police officer who was fired after he shot right into a automotive two years in the past, killing a Black man and severely wounding the person’s girlfriend, has been charged with second-degree homicide and involuntary manslaughter, authorities introduced on Thursday.
In a information launch, the Lake County State’s Legal professional’s workplace mentioned it had unsealed grand jury indictments towards former Waukegan police Officer Dante Salinas within the Oct. 20, 2020, capturing that killed a 19-year-old native man, Marcellis Stinnette, and wounded his girlfriend, Tafara Williams. Salinas additionally was indicted on felony counts of aggravated battery inflicting nice bodily hurt and official misconduct.
On the evening of the capturing, one other Waukegan officer stopped the couple’s automotive and was questioning them when Williams immediately drove off, in response to investigators. The officer pursued them and Salinas responded to his name for assist and joined the chase.
Williams drove off a roadway and crashed, then put her automotive in reverse in an try to go away the world, the Lake County State’s Legal professional’s workplace mentioned in a information launch Thursday.
Salinas had climbed out of his squad automotive and was not within the path of Williams’ automotive however he “fired a number of pictures into the driving force’s facet of the car because it continued to reverse previous him,” in response to the information launch.
Williams was wounded and Stinnette, who prosecutors mentioned had dedicated no crime, was killed.
An professional analyzing the trajectory of the bullets was capable of decide the situation of Salinas and the trajectory of his bullets, Lake County State’s Legal professional Eric Rinehart mentioned within the assertion.
Salinas surrendered to authorities on Thursday and a choose ordered that he be held on $350,000 bond, prosecutors mentioned. Second-degree homicide carries a most jail sentence of 20 years and manslaughter carries a most time period of 5 years. If Salinas is convicted of each expenses, the sentences would run concurrently.
Douglas Zeit, an legal professional who represented Salinas in court docket on Thursday, declined to remark when reached by telephone.
Williams has been charged with aggravated fleeing. She surrendered to authorities as effectively and a choose ordered that she be launched on a $50,000 recognizance bond.
