Theft Suspect Dies Two Weeks After Being Shocked With Stun Gun
CHICAGO (STMW) -- A retail theft suspect is dead after he was critically injured when police used a stun gun on him May 7 in the Old Town neighborhood.
During a retail theft arrest about 12:15 a.m. in the 200 block of West North Avenue on May 7, officers used a stun gun on 23-year-old Dominique Franklin, who was resisting arrest and "refused to cooperate with officers," authorities said.
After the stun gun was deployed, Franklin suffered a head injury when he fell to the ground.
Franklin, of the 21000 block of Olivia Avenue in Sauk Village, was taken in critical condition to Northwestern Memorial Hospital and later pronounced dead at 4:49 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's office.
Witnesses told reporters at the scene that they were inside a nearby Walgreens store – located at 1601 N. Wells St. – when they heard employees talking about a man who had stolen items from the store and running away along the sidewalk. Witnesses also added that they later saw a man lying in the street outside, not moving, with multiple police SUVs nearby. That man was later loaded into an ambulance and taken away.
Charges were filed against Franklin for resisting an officer and retail theft, both felonies, police said at the time.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2014. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)