Warfield Ex Rel. Fox v. City of Chicago

565 F. Supp. 2d 948, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 54629
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedJuly 16, 2008
Docket05 C 3712
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 565 F. Supp. 2d 948 (Warfield Ex Rel. Fox v. City of Chicago) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Warfield Ex Rel. Fox v. City of Chicago, 565 F. Supp. 2d 948, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 54629 (N.D. Ill. 2008).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

RUBEN CASTILLO, District Judge.

Carrie Warfield (“Carrie”), Lagina War-field (“Lagina”) on behalf of herself and her minor son Deshaun Fox (“Deshaun”), Jennifer Warfield (“Jennifer”), Latoya Powell (“Latoya”), Mary Bonner (“Mary”), Sherprinia Bonner (“Sherprinia”) on behalf of her minor daughter Jalessa Bonner (“Jalessa”) (collectively, “Plaintiffs”) brought this Section 1983 suit against the City of Chicago (the “City”), Chicago police officers Calvin Chatman (“Officer Chatman”) and Dwayne Collier (“Officer Collier”), and Chicago police detectives Raymond Schalk (“Detective Schalk”), Je *953 rome Bogucki (“Detective Bogucki”), Valerie Lymperis (“Detective Lymperis”), Antonio Allen (“Detective Allen”), Michael Muzupappa, Jr. (“Detective Muzupappa”), John Hillmann (“Detective Hillmann”), Bruce Kischner (“Detective Kischner”), Alan Pergande (“Detective Pergande”), as well as other unknown Chicago police officers (collectively, “Defendants”). (R. 64, Compl.)

UNDISPUTED FACTS 1

I. The Shootings

On June 27, 2004, Carrie, her sister Lagina, Lagina’s eight-year old son Desh-aun, and their pregnant, eighteen-year old cousin, Jennifer, were living in Carrie’s apai'tment at 5331 West Congress Parkway in Chicago. (R. 198, Pis.’ Resp. to Defs.’ Stmt, of Facts ¶ 1; R. 206, Defs.’ Resp. to Pis.’ Stmt, of Add’l Facts ¶ 1.) Fourteen-year old Jalessa was staying with her nineteen-year old aunt, Mary, in an apartment at 5508 W. Congress Parkway. (Id.) Latoya lived at 5234 West Harrison; she was friends with Carrie. (Id.)

On June 27, 2004, at approximately 7:35 p.m., a shooting occurred on the 5300 block of West Congress. (R. 198, Pis.’ Resp. to Defs.’ Stmt, of Facts ¶ 9.) Sergeant Robert Rentner (“Sergeant Rentner”) of the 15th District gang tactical team sent officers to the scene, who determined the shooting was gang-related. (Id.) Sergeant Rentner received information that there was a red Chevy on that block which may have had a cache of weapons, and he assigned Officers Chatman and Collier to go to the location in a covert van, dressed in civilian clothes, to conduct surveillance of the car. (Id. ¶ 10.)

Officer Chatman drove the van and parked at approximately 5310 West Congress. (Id. ¶ 11.) Officers Chatman and Collier located the red Chevy and remained in the front seat of the van to conduct their surveillance. (Id.) A police beat car was also present at the intersection of Lockwood and Congress. (Id.)

At that time, a group of young black males were standing on the sidewalk on the north side of the street. (Id. ¶ 12.) Officer Chatman testified in his deposition that he observed one of the young black males walk east on Congress toward where the van was located, then return to the group and gesture toward the van. (Id.) Kejaun Harper (“Harper”), of 5330 West Congress, was part of this group, which also included Mandress Brady, Arnold Barnes, Deandre Lee, Darryl McCord, and his brother Jabar. (Id. ¶ 13.) Kejaun testified that Seneca Smith (“Smith”) walked up to the group as did another person from the neighborhood named Jamal, but then Seneca walked away from the group heading east towards Lockwood. (Id.)

Officer Chatman testified that Smith left the group with his right hand underneath his jersey at his belt/waist area, keeping his hand there as he walked east on Congress on the north side of the street until he got to approximately one house west of the van’s location, and then began to jog or run toward the passenger side door of the van. (Id. ¶ 14.) Dora Wooden (“Wooden”), who lived at 5314 West Congress, testified that the closest Smith came to the *954 van was the edge of the sidewalk next to Wooden’s front lawn. (R. 198, Pis.’ Resp. to Defs.’ Stmt, of Facts ¶ 14 & Ex. Q, Wooden Dep. at 67-68, 72, 81.) Officers Chatman and Collier testified, by contrast, that Smith came up to the van and asked the officers what they wanted. {Id. ¶ 15.) Officer Chatman testified that he told Smith they were police officers and reached for his badge to show Smith. {Id.) Officer Chatman then saw a weapon in Smith’s right hand, coming up at a 45-degree angle toward Officer Collier’s head. {Id. ¶ 16.) Officer Chatman then fired twice at Smith. {Id.)

Smith fell to the ground, and then got up and began running westbound on Congress. {Id. ¶ 17.) Smith still had the gun in his hand. {Id.) Officer Collier gave chase and ran westbound down the sidewalk. {Id.) Officer Collier testified that he identified himself as a police officer and displayed his badge. {Id.) Officer Chat-man gave chase parallel to Smith and Officer Collier. {Id.) At about three or four houses from the van’s location, Smith made a 45-degree turn and crossed into the street. {Id. ¶ 18.) Smith turned slightly to his left and fired his weapon in Officer Collier’s direction. {Id.) In response, Officer Collier fired two shots in Smith’s direction. {Id. ¶¶ 18-19.) Officers Collier and Chatman testified that they continued to identify themselves as police officers. {Id.)

Smith ran toward the apartment building at 5331 West Congress. {Id. ¶ 19.) He ran up to the outside door and pushed his way in. {Id. ¶ 21.) Officers Collier and Chatman testified that Officer Collier shot Smith while he was attempting to force the door open at 5331 West Congress, and as the door opened up, Smith fell inside the hallway. {Id. ¶ 19.) Officers Chatman and Collier further testified that they could not see or hear anyone in the vestibule (or hallway) of the apartment building when Officer Collier shot Smith. (R. 206, Defs.’ Resp. to Pis.’ Stmt, of Add’l Facts ¶ 5.)

Plaintiffs Carrie, Jennifer, Latoya, Mary, Jalessa, and their friends Chantel Davidson (“Chantel”) and Katrina Robinson (“Katrina”) were in the vestibule at 5331 West Congress when Smith entered the vestibule. (R. 198, Pis.’ Resp. to Defs.’ Stmt, of Facts ¶ 21.) These girls had been walking together eastbound on Congress on the south side of the street toward Carrie’s apartment at 5331 West Congress when they heard the shooting, at which point they ran into the dark vestibule of 5331 West Congress and shut the door. {Id. ¶¶ 20-22.) They could not get down to Carrie’s basement apartment and were banging on the door. {Id.) They pressed themselves against the sides of the vestibule walls for protection. (R. 206, Defs.’ Resp. to Pis.’ Stmt, of Add’l Facts ¶ 4.) The vestibule was approximately 3.5 feet by 6.5 feet, and the exterior door to the vestibule was glass surrounded by a wood frame. {Id.)

Plaintiffs did not hear Officers Chatman or Collier identify themselves as police officers. (R. 198, Pis.’ Resp. to Defs.’ Stmt, of Facts ¶ 18-19.) Plaintiffs testified that Smith was shot after he entered the door at 5331 West Congress. {Id.

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Bluebook (online)
565 F. Supp. 2d 948, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 54629, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/warfield-ex-rel-fox-v-city-of-chicago-ilnd-2008.