The family of a 19-year-old woman killed by Dolton police last August have filed a lawsuit claiming the village has failed to respond to Freedom of Information Act requests as they search for answers about the death.
Alexis Wilson was shot and killed on July 27 by Dolton police officers near a popular drive-thru restaurant. Nearly eight months later, the family’s lawyer Rahseen Gordon says they still have no clear explanation what happened that night.
In January, the family filed several FOIA requests with the village seeking correspondence from the mayor’s office about the case, as well as any civilian complaints or lawsuits against the two officers involved, Gordon said.
When the village did not respond by Feb. 17, Gordon said he sent an email to the clerk warning they were in violation of FOIA laws. The village declined to hand over information from the mayor’s office or records on the officer, he said.
Gordon called the response “woefully inadequate,” adding that “the continuous willful and blatant violations of FOIA by the village adds insult to injury.”
The mayor’s office released a statement saying the documents were handed over to the village clerk’s office, which handles FOIA requests. The mayor’s office said it “has no knowledge of whether or not the clerk fulfilled her obligations.”
Officers were called to Baba’s Famous Steak & Lemonade restaurant at Oak and Sibley Boulevard after restaurant workers claimed Wilson was knocking on the window with a gun, which in surveillance video appears to be a long pipe or other object.
Wilson and a male passenger were ordered out of a car by officers. The passenger stepped out, but Wilson remained behind the wheel, repeatedly telling officers she had no clothes on, according to the video.
Suddenly, Wilson’s head jerked back against the seat as if she has been punched, the video shows. She drove off, screaming, as an officer jumped into the passenger seat. Bodycam footage provided by the village becomes obstructed at this point, but seconds later shots rang out.
Gordon said Wilson was shot seven times, twice in the head.
Illinois State Police have provided no updates on the case, saying the shooting remains under investigation.
Dolton Mayor Tiffany Heynard did not respond to a request for comment.
