Highland Park officers return to work after hospital shooting
Two officers who shot and killed a Waukegan man inside the emergency room at NorthShore Highland Park Hospital have returned to their jobs, authorities said.
The information was contained in a five-page question-and-answer report, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, about the deadly altercation between the Highland Park officers and Christopher M. Anderson, 27. The identities of the officers have not been released.
Officials said they also released two hospital surveillance camera videos of the shooting through the Freedom of Information Act request, and that the video has been provided to an Anderson family representative. Officials also released two Taser gun videos.
Ralph Peterson, Jr., a family spokesman and community activist, said the “family is still not satisfied because there are still many unanswered questions.”
“They want more explanation,” Peterson said. “The family wants to know what happened when Mr. Anderson walked into the hospital and at what point did things go wrong.”
The Lake County state's attorney's office previously determined the officers followed protocol after Anderson drew a gun on them and hospital workers at 1:30 a.m. Monday, Nov. 3.
Anderson was taken to the hospital after he and his daughter suffered minor injuries in a crash on the Tri-State Tollway near Lake-Cook Road around 11 p.m. Nov. 2. Authorities said Anderson was a front-seat passenger in the DUI crash, and his daughter Alaysia, was sitting in the back seat.
Highland Park police were called to the hospital because Anderson was acting aggressively, authorities said. Hospital workers asked Anderson to change into a hospital gown, authorities said, but he “grew increasingly agitated” and refused.
A video shows officers and hospital personnel retreating in the emergency room after Anderson pulled out the hand gun. Police officers can be seen drawing their guns and yelling multiple times through a doorway for Anderson to drop his weapon. As the standoff ends, everyone outside of the room relaxes.
For about three minutes, there is some chaos in the emergency room as officers come and go. A doctors walks into the room where Anderson was shot and wheels him on a cart to a nearby emergency area to begin medical treatment.
Anderson was hit more than once from the nine shots fired in a 1.7-second span, officials said.
The Lake County Major Crimes Task Force conducted the investigation into the shooting and presented their findings to the state's attorney's office.
Emergency room personnel gave Anderson CPR and intubation, but he died after the shooting.
Investigators learned the gun Anderson was carrying had been reported stolen in Waukegan. Anderson's criminal background included serving time for aggravated battery and escape from a penal institution. He was released on parole in May.