State Police: No Reason To Frisk Man Who Was Shot And Killed At Hospital
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Illinois State Police were defending their decision not to frisk a man who was taken to Highland Park Hospital after a traffic crash a few days ago, before the man was shot and killed by police when he pulled out a gun in the emergency room.
WBBM Newsradio's Bernie Tafoya reports Highland Park police officers shot and killed 27-year-old Christopher Anderson after he became combative with hospital staff, and began waving a handgun early Monday, and refused police orders to drop the weapon.
Anderson had been a passenger in a car involved in a crash on the Edens Expressway. The driver of the car had been arrested for drunk driving, and Anderson and his daughter were taken to Highland Park Hospital for injuries they suffered in the wreck.
Illinois State Police said troopers never frisked Anderson, and did not conduct a criminal background check, because he was the passenger, and had no contact with officers, because he was already in an ambulance with his daughter when police arrived.
"Our focus was the driver and the DUI," Illinois State Police spokeswoman Monique Bond said in an email.
The Illinois Department of Corrections said Anderson served time in prison for aggravated battery, escaping jail, and drug charges.
Anderson allegedly caused a disturbance at the hospital a few hours after the crash, and was brandishing a handgun when police arrived. After he ignored repeated police commands to drop the gun, an officer shot and killed him.