Family of man shot and killed by Chicago area police demands to see body camera video
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The family of a man who was shot and killed by police in west suburban Carol Stream over the weekend demanded on Monday to see body camera footage of the shooting.
Andrew M. Stroth, an attorney for the family of 30-year-old Isaac Goodlow III, said Goodlow was unarmed when he was shot and killed in his own home early Saturday morning.
"Isaac Goodlow, a 30-year-old Black man, was shot and unjustifiably killed by the Carol Stream police officers," Stroth said. "What we know is that, within moments of the officers entering the sanctity of his home, they shot and killed him."
Carol Stream police have said officers responded to a reported domestic violence incident at the Villagebrook Apartments at 260 E. St. Charles Road around 4:15 a.m. Saturday, when two officers shot Goodlow.
"Officers encountered a tense, uncertain, and rapidly evolving situation, which resulted in officers discharging their weapons at the alleged domestic violence suspect," said Carol Stream Police Chief Brian Cluever.
Goodlow was shot multiple times, and was taken to Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police have not said exactly what type of threat prompted the officers to shoot Goodlow, but Stroth and Goodlow's family said the shooting was not justified.
The family said police told them Goodlow threw something at officers.
"They shot my son down like a dog. They shot him down like a dog; like he wasn't even a human being. Isaac was a good man. We was real close. We was real close. He wouldn't harm a fly. He wouldn't harm nobody," said Goodlow's mother, Bonnie Pigram.
Police said body camera footage is being reviewed as the Public Integrity Team with the DuPage Metropolitan Emergency Response and Investigative Team (MERIT) investigates the incident.
At a press conference outside the apartment where Goodlow was shot, the family on Monday demanded to see the video footage. The family also demanded to know the names of the officers who fired their weapons.
"We want justice for our brother. He did not deserve that. He was a great man. He did not deserve that at all. We want justice for our brother. We want to know what happened," said Goodlow's sister, Kyenna McConico.
Goodlow's family's attorney said Goodlow had overcome significant health challenges in his life, including meningitis and bipolar disorder, and his family believes he was suffering a mental health crisis on Saturday.
CBS 2 has learned a female friend of Goodlow's made the 911 call that brought police to the apartment.
"This family wants to make sure that what happened to Isaac doesn't happen to anyone else. Yet another unarmed Black man shot and killed by the police," Stroth said. "What he was calling for was help, not to be shot by the police."
His family said Goodlow was a calm and humble man, with dreams of releasing his own rap album this year.
"He stayed to himself. He stayed in his home, where he felt he was safe in, where he felt he was supposed to be comfortable. My brother did not think he was going to lose his life inside his home," said his brother, Michael Pigram.
Goodlow's family described him as a dedicated family man, who enjoyed playing cards and video games, family barbecues, and spending time with his dog, Pepper.
"He never caused no kind of harm or disruption to nobody. He never went out of his way to do any of that. If you was chilling in his house, that's what he was doing. If he wasn't in his home, he was chilling with me and my mom. Just doing regular things as a family," Michael Pigram said.
"My little brothers looked up to him. We all looked up to him. He was an amazing uncle," said Goodlow's niece, Dajanae Barnes. "He was an amazing man. He had issues, and I need people to stop hiding the fact that it's nothing wrong with having a mental illness."
Stroth said the family is not yet pursuing legal action, but is prepared to do so based on how the village and police respond to their requests for the video and the officers' names.
"We want to get the evidence first, find out what happened, and we're going to pursue every legal action to protect this family," he said.
Village officials on Monday said they had no update on the case. The Carol Stream Police Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the family's claims and demands.
The two officers who shot Goodlow have been placed on paid leave while the shooting is under investigation.
