Jemel Roberson has been identified as the 26-year-old security guard that was mistakenly shot and killed by a Midlothian police officer who was responding to a shooting that occurred inside of Manny’s Blue Room Bar in Robbins, Illinois.
According to reports from witnesses at the scene, Roberson was shot and killed by a police officer around 4 a.m. on Sunday, November 11.
Police were responding to a shooting at Manny’s Blue Room Bar after someone with a gun opened fire inside of the bar. Roberson, a security guard, returned fire and apprehended one of the men involved in the shooting.
Witnesses say a responding officer shot and killed Roberson soon after.
“Everybody was screaming out, ‘Security!’ He was a security guard. And they still did their job, and saw a black man with a gun, and basically killed him,” said Adam Harris, who witnessed the shooting.
via WGN-TV:
Authorities were releasing few details Sunday night. Four other people, including the suspected shooter, sustained non-life threatening injuries.
A spokeswoman for the Cook County Sheriff’s Office said Roberson had a valid FOID card, but did not have a concealed-carry license.
In a statement, Midlothian police confirmed two officers from the department responded to the scene of the shooting and that one of them opened fire.
“A Midlothian officer encountered a subject with a gun and was involved in an officer-involved shooting. The subject the officer shot was later pronounced deceased at an area hospital,” Chief Daniel Delaney of the Midlothian Police Department said in a statement.
At this time, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the original shooting inside the bar, while the Illinois State Police Public Integrity Task Force is investigating the shooting and killing of Roberson.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help cover Roberson’s funeral costs. At the time of this writing, over $4000 have been raised.
The GoFundMe page says that Roberson “was a young man who was greatly loved by all who knew him.”
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