The police department faced a wrongful death suit filed by the family of a Carol Stream man on Wednesday, who was fatally shot by law enforcement. In the shooting incident, Isaac Goodlow III, 30-year-old, was shot dead inside his home by the police on February 3rd. That incident came after police responded to a call that Goodlow and his girlfriend had a domestic dispute, according to the legal complaint filed by his family. According to the suit, police responding to the scene were informed that Goodlow's girlfriend was not in the apartment when officers arrived. The suit further alleges that the officers stayed in the building upstairs for over 50 minutes and did not attempt whatsoever to contact Goodlow before forcing their way into his apartment. The family argues that, during this time, Goodlow was innocently sleeping in his bed when police fired shots at him. The lawsuit cites concerns over the actions and decisions of the officers leading up to the shooting, questioning if the response was appropriate in the situation. For that, the reason for the family to take a case into court is supported: justice for the loss of their loved one, and secondly, holding the police responsible for what they believe to be an unjustified use of force.
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Relatives of the late Goodlow were allowed to see a version of the body camera footage related to the incident earlier in the month; it had been censored. The family contends the footage shows Goodlow was the only person in the bed at the time of the incident. Kyenna McConico said her sister was in so much pain after she watched the video that she described it as nothing short of horrific. She told reporters in exasperation, "They lied. What they did was unjustified. They went in there and they shot my brother in his sleep. And we want justice." The family's lawsuit retains Goodlow had no weapons on him when he was shot as he was peacefully resting in his bedroom. While this was a serious incident, the police still have not revealed what specific threat they believed existed that would justify the officers shooting Goodlow. The family, however, did say that police had previously told them that Goodlow had thrown something at the officers during the encounter. That's a serious contradiction that makes highly questionable the grounds on which deadly force was used against him.
