Protest for Justus Howell, State’s Attorney Again Rejects Call for New Look

(Waukegan, IL) A protest outside of the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office has once again called for a new look at a 5-year-old police shooting, and once again, the call was rejected.

17-year-old Justus Howell was shot by a Zion Police officer, after reportedly stealing a gun from an 18-year-old in April of 2015. An attorney for Howell’s family wants a grand jury to take another look into the case, something Lake County State’s Attorney Mike Nerheim has rejected.

Nerheim released a statement just before the protest saying the officer was justified in the shooting, and cleared not only by his office, but as the result of several independent investigations.

He also pointed out that a civil suit filed by the family was rejected in 2018. The State’s Attorney also released a document detailing the investigation on the office’s Facebook page.