Man exonerated in Arlington Heights death

A Detroit man was justified in punching a Gurnee man who died in Arlington Heights early Sunday from the blow, police said.

Deandre Berry, 35, died of hemorrhaging in his head and spine, said Arlington Heights police Cmdr. Kenneth Galinski.

Berry had apparently moved to the Chicago suburbs from Detroit in 2001, according to public records that show he'd also lived in Arlington Heights and Mount Prospect since then.

Police questioned the boyfriend of Berry's sister, but released him Monday without charges with the concurrence of the Cook County state's attorney's office, said Galinski.

Police said the conflict started after a party attended by seven to nine people at Berry's sister's apartment in the 700 block of East Golf Road. Galinski said the most intoxicated person there was Berry, whose blood-alcohol level tested at .29, well above the legal driving limit of .08.

What follows is the police's account of what happened next: After others had left the party, Berry seemed out of control, and the sister told him to leave early Sunday morning and go to his girlfriend's apartment in the same complex.

Berry started hitting the sister, and she picked up a knife. At that point the sister's boyfriend, who lives in Detroit, told Berry to leave. But Berry continued striking the couple.

The Detroit man hit the victim once, and Berry fell to the ground. His sister and boyfriend thought he'd collapsed from intoxication.

They put him outside of the apartment building and called his girlfriend to come get him.

Before the girlfriend arrived, someone else saw Berry and called 911 about 3 a.m. Authorities took him to Northwest Community Hospital, where he was declared dead a short time later. The Cook County medical examiner's office ruled the death a homicide from an assault after the autopsy Monday.

"Unfortunately a life was lost," said Galinski, "but (the man who struck Berry) was defending himself and others. Alcohol played a large part in this tragedy."