ROCKFORD, IL : Family of man killed in deadly traffic stop sues Rockford on Sunday, November, 19th 2017

A lawyer representing family of Eddie Patterson has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Winnebago County court against the city of Rockford, arguing the Nov. 5 officer-involved shooting that killed him was not justified.

Rockford police officer Jaimie Cox became entangled in Patterson’s vehicle, and later died, after what appeared to begin as a routine traffic stop. The lawsuit calls the incident a “horrible and sad tragedy.”

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Telecia Banks, one of Patterson’s two adult daughters, comes as a Winnebago-Boone County Integrity Task Force investigation of what happened continues. Craig Sandberg, a lawyer representing Patterson’s estate, said the lawsuit should allow the family to conduct its own investigation.

“The intention is to allow the task force to complete its investigation,” Sandberg said during a phone interview Monday. “The Patterson family wants to conduct its own investigation ... the transparency that comes from the lawsuit process should let us know what actually happened.”

Sandberg is the same lawyer who represented the Rev. Melvin Brown of Kingdom Authority Church and his family when they sued the city over the August 2009 officer-involved shooting death of Mark Anthony Barmore. Attorney Keenan Saulter represented day care staff and children at the day care. A jury awarded $30,000 to each of the 10 children present, $45,000 to a former day care worker and $15,000 to day care director Shelia Floyd-Brown. Plaintiffs had sought $4 million.

Source :
Family of man killed in deadly traffic stop sues Rockford