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Illinois Man Injured in a DUI Accident is Shot by Police while at the Hospital

Illinois Man Injured in a DUI Accident is Shot by Police while at the Hospital

A few days ago a tragic turn of events happened in Highland Park, Illinois when a passenger involved in a DUI car accident was taken to a local hospital where he was fatally shot by police.

Around 11:30 Sunday evening, Illinois state police responded to a DUI car crash on Illinois Route 94.  The uninjured driver allegedly showed signs of driving under the influence and was arrested then taken to the station for possible DUI charges.  The two passengers in the car were Christopher Anderson and his 9-year-old daughter.  Both passengers suffered injuries from the car accident and were transported to Highland Park Hospital.

While at the hospital, Anderson allegedly became hostile and drew a handgun on hospital staff while they were trying to subdue him. Police were called.  At approximately 1:30am on Monday morning, police repeatedly asked Anderson to drop his gun, but police say he refused.  Anderson was shot dead by the officers.

Fortunately the daughter did not witness the shooting and was released from the hospital into her mother’s care.

Stricken with grief and anger, Anderson’s family has reached out to police for answers, of which they have had none.  “They steady shooting people and getting away with it,” says Shanta Davis, Anderson’s ex-girlfriend and mother to the 9-year-old daughter, “and they know they messed up so they trying to plan as if he did all of this and that, my daughter said he had no gun on him and I’m going to believe my daughter.”

Chicago community activist, Ralph Peterson questions the actions of the police, “How can a 27-year-old whose daughter is seeking medical attention end up dead?”

Currently the Lake County Major Crime Task Force is investigating whether the shooting was justified or not.

 

Washington State Lawmakers Push For DUI Check Points

Washington State Lawmakers Push For DUI Check Points

DUI News – State lawmakers and advocates are at it again, trying to change the law and amend the constitution to legalize random DUI check points here in Washington State.  The legalization of DUI check points would allow law enforcement to stop vehicles without legal cause and investigate individuals for possible driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.  Why try again?  Supporters of DUI check points are convinced individuals will think twice about drunk driving knowing they could be stopped at a DUI sobriety check point and thus drunk driving would decrease.

Democratic State Representative Roger Goodman, of Kirkland, appears to be a supporting forefront voice on the controversial issue saying, “We’ve made a lot of progress in enacting DUI laws, but there’s one missing piece and that’s the sobriety checkpoints, which have been shown to reduce deaths by 25 to 30 percent in other states that have them.”  According to Goodman, 38 states nationwide and the District of Columbia currently have similar DUI check point laws in place.

Goodman, other lawmakers, MADD, and advocates for victims and survivors of drunk driving accidents have banded together knowing they have an extremely tough uphill battle to try to pass random DUI check points into law.  Past attempts to move DUI check points into law have all failed due to Washington State’s constitution having very strict privacy laws.  A report produced by the lawmakers and advocates will likely be handed over to state officials on December 4th to continue their push forward for DUI check points.

Those opposing DUI check points are not lying low, they are loudly voicing violations of State and Federal constitutional rights.  Many are saying Washington State is unique for having strict privacy laws and it should stay that way.  Doug Honig with the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) of Washington State, shared his stance saying, “In our society, if you’re out and about on the highway and you aren’t doing anything wrong, law enforcement shouldn’t be stopping you.”  He continued, “It’s a matter of general freedom in our society.”

This issue of legalizing DUI check points is difficult, on one hand we want to keep all people safe, on the other hand it would cost the right to privacy while driving.  When it comes to civil liberties I think it is wise to remember the old saying, “If you give them an inch, they will take a mile.”  Meaning, if we give up our right to privacy while driving and allow police officers to investigate anyone for possible DUI what will come next… allowing random searches of vehicles… or allowing law enforcement to enter homes without cause or warrant?  The more we allow law enforcement to encroach on our daily lives, the less freedom we truly have.

The information above was derived from the article Sobering idea?  State floats idea of random DUI check points, written by Lindsay Cohen, Nov. 6th 2013 and can be found on Kiro.com.

 

Written by S.O