The family of a teenager shot and killed by a Chicago police officer earlier this year has filed a federal lawsuit against the city and officer.
The lawsuit filed Thursday claims 17-year-old Michael Elam Jr. was unarmed and not a threat when he was shot on the night of Feb. 16 on Chicago’s West Side.
Attorney Jeffrey Neslund says Elam was headed to a restaurant with his girlfriend and two others when police pulled them over for speeding and driving without lights.
The officer, identified as Adolf Bolanos in the lawsuit, is accused of shooting Elam in the back of his head and in his back during a brief foot chase.
Police say Elam was shot after “an armed confrontation” and that two weapons were recovered at the scene.
Chicago Law Department spokesman Bill McCaffrey says he hasn’t seen the lawsuit and declined comment.
