The family of a man shot by Carpentersville police in his home last week wants more information about what happened, including the release of body camera footage from the incident.
A relative identified the man as DeShawn Jones, 32, of the 100 block of Woodland Court.
At a news conference Tuesday outside Carpentersville Village Hall, the family said they had not been able to speak to Jones since the Aug. 28 shooting and did not know where he was, Jones’ cousin Reginald Clay said.
“They went into his house. We don’t know if it was mistaken identity or the wrong place they went into. We don’t know anything,” Jones said.
Jones was initially taken to Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin and then transferred to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, officials said.
Clay said on Tuesday that Lutheran General told him they had no record of his cousin being treated there, a fact verified by The Courier-News. Since then, he has been able to confirm that Jones is, in fact, hospitalized at the facility, he said.
The shooting occurred about 10:45 p.m. at Jones’ home, according to a news release from the Kane County state’s attorney’s office, which said the Kane County Major Crimes Task Force was handling the investigation.
“The preliminary investigation indicates that a man, armed with a firearm, was shot by police on the scene,” the release said.
No other information was released so it’s not known why police were at Jones’ home, what occurred leading up to the shooting, the number of times he was shot or the extent of his injuries.
Carpentersville Police Chief Todd Shaver referred all questions about the case to the state’s attorney’s office. A state’s attorney’s spokesman said Monday that there were no further updates.
In a statement issued last week, Shaver said. “A full and transparent investigation is already underway, and we are committed to sharing updates with the public as soon as we are able. We ask for the community’s patience as we work to determine the facts.”
Rabbi Michael Ben Yosef, a representative for the Chicago Activist Coalition for Justice who joined Clay at the news conference, said authorities have not been “transparent.”
“A simple statement in a release is insufficient,” Yosef said. “The public deserves to see the body cam for the sake of transparency.”
There are a lot of questions, Yosef said. The account released by authorities does not tell the whole story of what happened, he said.
The family wants to know why Jones was shot, who shot him, and whether the officer or officers involved have been the subject of previous misconduct allegations or complaints, Yosef said. They also wanat the 911 transcript, the police report and body camera footage, he said.
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“DeShawn has a story to tell,” Yosef said. “The public deserves to see the body cam for the sake of transparency. … This smells like a cover-up to me.”
His organization understands that if there was probable cause or a warrant, police had the right to be in Jones’ home. But if not, “DeShawn’s rights were violated severely,” he said.
Isaiah Jackson, an activist with Dare to Struggle, said he was there in support of Jones’ family.
“The reason we came out today is because it’s all too common for the police to shoot first and ask questions later,” Jackson said. “That’s how they destroy the lives of so many people like DeShawn.”
Jones had a concealed carry license from the state that allowed him to carry a gun legally, Yosef said.
“DeShawn is a working and responsible man taking care of his autistic brother. DeShawn has never been in trouble. … His life will be forever impacted (by this incident).”
Jones moved to Carpentersville when he was in his teens and graduated from Dundee-Crown High School. He lived with his father at the Woodland Court apartment until his father’s death in 2020, when Jones became the guardian for his 41-year-old brother Kirby, 41, Clay said.
Neither Jones nor his brother has been in trouble previously, he said.
Kane County court records show that Jones has had a handful of traffic violations, the most recent in 2021, and two Carpentersville ordinance violations in 2012, one for assault and the other for unlawful use of an air rifle, but no misdemeanor or felony charges.
Jones has worked at a Carpentersville factory for about 13 years, and is now on medical leave from his job, Clay said. While Jones is hospitalized, Kirby Jones is staying with Clay and his wife.
According to the family’s account, Kirby hid in the kitchen during the shooting and was afraid to come out when police demanded he do so, Clay said. He was later handcuffed and taken to Sherman Hospital, where authorities called his relatives, he said.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.