Midlothian Police Chief Calls Shooting A "'Blue On Blue' Friendly Fire Incident"
CHICAGO (CBS)--More details are emerging about the Midlothian police officer who killed Jemel Roberson, but the officer's identity is still being withheld.
Midlothian Police Chief Daniel Delaney has provided several versions of last weekend's shooting at Manny's Blue Room Lounge.
Delaney first said Roberson was a subject with a gun, then later he called Roberson a "brave man doing his best to end an active shooter situation."
Today in a statement, Delaney offered condolences to Roberson's friends and family.
"There are no words that can be expressed as to the sorrow the family is dealing with," he said in the statement. "We view this as the equivalent of a 'blue on blue' friendly fire incident."
Delaney also confirmed Wednesday that the officer involved is white, among other details. He has worked as a Midlothian police officer for four years and has three years of service "with another agency," police said in a statement.
It is unclear whether alcohol was being served the night of the shooting, but records from the Illinois Liquor Control Commission show the state liquor license for Manny's Blue Room Lounge expired on September 30 of this year. A renewal application had not been submitted.
A spokesperson for the Village of Robbins, where the bar is located, however, said records show the bar had a valid local liquor license, but a spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Revenue said the expiration of a state license cancels out a local license.
