T-Boz wants justice for her mentally ill 25-year-old cousin who was shot 18 times by Peoria, Ill., police after officers said surveillance footage showed him committing armed robbery at the First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust. But according to the singer, the officers’ stories aren’t matching up and have been changing over the last couple of days.
According to HOI ABC, Eddie Russell Jr. was shot 18 times outside his Peoria home after police asked him to surrender during a two-hour standoff. The cops alleged that Russell emerged from the house aggressively and was armed with a gun, which they say was recovered at the scene. None of the cops were wearing bodycams.
T-Boz took to social media to call for justice for her dead cousin, and she says she wants to know why bodycams were not being utilized.
The six officers involved in the shooting have been placed on “critical incident leave,” according to Peoria County State’s Attorney Jerry Brady, who’s asking for the family’s cooperation as the investigation continues.
“I would simply ask that we not address this from the standpoint of inferences, but we address this from the standpoint of what the facts are,” said Brady.
Read more at HOI ABC.