Advocates Demand Probe in Brutal Beating Death of Black Man by North Chicago Police: Darrin Hanna Plead for his Life

From [HERE] A petition urging federal and state investigations of the North Chicago Police Department has gained an estimated 1,500 signatures since it was first circulated last week. The petition, which is also circulating online at change.org, calls for U.S. Department of Justice Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan to conduct investigations “relating to the torture, cover-up and death of Darrin Hanna.

Hanna, 45, died Nov. 13, a week after he was arrested inside his apartment by six North Chicago police officers on a domestic battery charge.  He was beaten and repeatedly shocked with a stun gun by North Chicago police. In police recordings from the scene, an anguished Hanna can be heard pleading, “Put me down, please, I was down,” while an officer tells him, “You are OK ... relax.” Advocates have said the recordings show Hanna was cooperative, still conscious and understandable after being arrested, though he was barely conscious and unintelligible by the time he was carried out of his apartment on a stretcher.

Both unofficial and official autopsy reports showed that physical and Taser “restraint” contributed to Hanna’s death, which caused an outcry that sparked rallies and protests. Hanna’s survivors  filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit against the city and its police department on December 13, 2011. 

“It’s been seven and a half months since my son was murdered by six officers,” said Gloria Carr, Hanna’s mother, during a Monday committee of the whole. “He should have had the chance to go to court and have his due process. The city of North Chicago is going to be exposed. I’m going to get justice for my son.”

At the same meeting, Peterson called for the firing of the six remaining officers involved in the arrest, including veteran Sgt. Salvatore Cecala, who handled evidence in the case.

The officers had been placed on desk duty pending the outcome of various investigations, but were returned to full-duty in late April, with the exception of Officer Brandon Yost, who was fired.

An independent investigation, paid for by the city, found that Yost lied when he claimed that Hanna tried to head-butt and bite him after he placed him in a chokehold. Yost admitted to punching Hanna twice in the face while he had him in the chokehold.

Peterson continues to point to discrepancies in testimony provided by officers and the corruption of certain evidence.

“The ISP (Illinois State Police) report — everything they gave you is a total lie,” Peterson said.

Michael Newsome, the city’s former police chief, was placed on administrative leave Jan. 3 after other allegations and evidence of police brutality by his officers emerged. He retired on Feb. 24 after a senior officer in the department went public with a whistleblower suit. Lt. Curtis Brame alleges that Newsome demoted him after Brame told Mayor Leon Rockingham that Newsome was helping himself to vehicles confiscated in drug arrests. The city said an internal investigation found no evidence of the allegation.