Carol Stream police release video in fatal shooting of man by officers
The Carol Stream Police Department has released body camera videos from the fatal shooting of a man by two of its officers.
According to a news release, the videos represent “all of the body-worn camera recordings that capture the complete interaction” between police and 30-year-old Isaac Goodlow III on Feb. 3 inside Goodlow’s apartment.
Video of events before and after the shooting will be released on another, unspecified day after the DuPage County state’s attorney’s office finishes its review of the shooting.
The video footage, which is about 32 minutes in total, may be viewed on vimeo.com.
It is a compilation of the videos from six officers’ cameras, plus introductory remarks by Police Chief Don Cummings.
“We share these videos as part of our commitment to transparency and our intention to give the public a fuller understanding of the events that unfolded that morning,” the release said.
It said that footage identifying individuals has been redacted, as required by the Illinois Law Enforcement Officer-Worn Body Camera Act and the Freedom of Information Act.
The village did not identify the officers.
At the start of the video, Cummings says police were called to the apartment by Goodlow’s girlfriend. They found her, barefoot, outside. He said she told them she and Goodlow were in an argument that became physical. Police observed injuries on her, and she told them it was from the fight, Cummings said. He said the girlfriend told them she shared the apartment with Goodlow and had left without taking her keys or her dog.
Cummings said police tried to contact Goodlow for 45 minutes, including knocking on the door of the apartment and an exterior wall. They also called his phone. He said the girlfriend permitted them to enter the apartment.
The video shows police lined up single-file in a hallway and someone unlocking the door for police. As they enter, one of the officers says, “Police, Carol Stream police.”
Some of the officers go to a bedroom. Gunshots are heard. An officer can be heard swearing. Another asks if it is a self-inflicted wound. The video shows Goodlow face-down on the floor, officers handcuffing him and then rolling him over. Officers put on medical gloves, and one starts performing CPR. Groaning can be heard, as well as a woman screaming in the background.
Family responds
Andrew Stroth and Steven Hart, attorneys for the Goodlow family, released a written statement on the family’s behalf on Friday afternoon.
“The videos released today show Isaac Goodlow, a 30-year-old unarmed Black man, shot and killed in the sanctity of his own bedroom,” the statement says. “The six unidentified Carol Stream police officers took a military-style approach, armed with a ballistic shield and guns drawn, broke into Isaac’s bedroom and immediately shot and killed him.
“If shot at close range and tasing was not enough, the officers handcuffed Isaac without first attempting to provide life-saving measures,” the statement continues. “Isaac bled out and ultimately died. This is yet another unjustifiable and unconscionable tragedy in America.”
Stroth said Goodlow was the only person who lived in the apartment and that the girlfriend lived “around the corner.”
Goodlow’s family is suing the department in federal court, saying police had no reason to enter Goodlow’s apartment and force their way into his apartment. They also charge police used excessive force by shooting Goodlow as he slept, then shocking him with a Taser. The suit says Goodlow was shot in the heart and chest.