Dolton police Chief Robert Collins released 27 minutes of video Thursday showing the view from cameras worn by officers and from a fast-food restaurant the morning 19-year-old Alexis Wilson was shot and killed by one of his officers.
At 1 a.m. July 27 an employee of Baba’s Famous Steak and Lemonade, 685 Sibley Blvd., called Dolton police concerned about a woman in a red vehicle who would not leave the facility’s drive-thru window and said he saw a gun in her car. Video showed her at the window for a few minutes before she pulled away, but she returned and appeared to hit the window area with an object that looked like a metal pipe.
After several minutes, another person left the passenger side of the car, picked something up off the ground on the driver’s side and went back into the car.
When police arrived, Collins said both Wilson and her passenger were asked to leave the car. He said guns were drawn because it’s procedure in cases when they believe someone has a gun.
The passenger, whom Collins would not identify, left the car and Collins said he later told police there was a gun in the car. Collins said state police crime scene investigators recovered a Taurus semi-automatic gun with an extended magazine.
Two officers tried to coax Wilson out of the car and one tried to enter her car from the passenger’s side, Wilson said. The audio from the body cameras had Wilson screaming “I’m naked!” several times. Collins said she had a top on and a robe but nothing else.
The video shows Wilson driving the vehicle dragging the officer on
the passenger side. The vehicle traveled a block before crashing into the Compleat Cyclist Shop, 703 Sibley. The officer on the passenger side, whose name was not released, it still hospitalized, according to Collins.
“Once the vehicle actually hit the street, there was a series of gunshots that were heard,” Collins said. “The officer responded to those gunshots by firing his weapon. We believe that the officer inside the vehicle fired shots.”
Collins said it has not been determined which officer killed her. He said the investigation from June 27 was still ongoing but “I’m comfortable with this video.”
Rashaan Gordon, lawyer for Wilson’s family, said Wilson was punched by the officer on the driver’s side and that’s why she took off.
“The family is demanding a prosecution of the officer who committed a battery and escalated the situation,” he said. “There is no de-escalation. He escalates. He gets hyper.”
Gordon said he learned the officer inside the car shot her seven times, and said the family didn’t appreciate some of the way the Dolton police spun the narrative.
“Seven times at close range inside the car. And none of that was disclosed early on,” Gordon said. “It has opined that she was dead before the car hit that bike shop. All of this happened so quickly so for them to try to jump ahead, that wasn’t right.”
Alonzo Wilson, Alexis’ father, said the issue isn’t about race or color.
“This is about our kids and where prayer can make us come together,” he said. “I pray that even the officers that shot my daughter never get this phone call.”
Collins said both officers have five or more years of experience and are “stellar officers.” He said the officer on the driver’s side had been involved in a prior shooting during an armed robbery, possibly four years ago.
The chief said the family had an opportunity to see the video. He said there has been misinformation regarding his officers and deemed it necessary to be transparent in releasing some of the video footage.
“It is important for the public to see both sides of the incident,” he said. “This is the recorded version as opposed to other narratives that are on the street.”
Wilson’s death caused an outcry among her family and friends, and Dolton Mayor Tiffany Henyard was taken to task for comments backing the police. On Monday, protesters showed up near Henyard’s home and a reported 20 officers from four police agencies were on hand to keep the peace.
Henyard released a statement Thursday afternoon with an apology.
“On yesterday evening chief Collins and I reviewed the bodycam footage from the Baba’s restaurant incident,” she said. “This was a sad and unfortunate occurrence that has left a dark cloud over our community.”
Henyard said, as a mother and a daughter, her heart is heavy for the Wilson family.
“The words that I expressed previously were based upon the information at the time and were not meant to overshadow the significance of Ms. Wilson’s life, nor cause additional pain to the Wilson family,” Henyard said in the statement.
Cara Wilson said she has not received a phone call from anybody in Dolton regarding her daughter’s death.
“I feel disrespected,” she said. “I’m finding out every detail on the news and that’s not fair as a mother.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.