Content warning: This story contains mentions of violence and death.
Evanston resident Felicea Williams, who spent six months in a coma following her January arrest by Evanston Police Department officers, died Wednesday, according to a statement from her family’s attorney.
On Jan. 5, Williams was arrested outside American Ale House, a Chicago bar on Howard Street, just across the Evanston border. During an altercation with several EPD officers, Williams became unconscious and was then transported to St. Francis Hospital.
She remained comatose at the hospital until her death, according to a statement from attorney Victor Henderson of The Cochran Firm’s Chicago branch.
“Earlier today, her family informed us that Felicea passed away after spending six months in a coma following her violent encounter with the police,” Henderson wrote. “Police officers are entrusted with one of the greatest responsibilities our society can give: to protect life. Today, one family is mourning the loss of a daughter, a mother and a loved one.”
After the family sued the city in April, citing the Freedom of Information Act, Evanston publicly released information about the incident, including body camera footage from responding officers. The footage shows Williams running into the street and attempting to enter a vehicle before officers detain her.
In the footage, multiple officers also claim Williams spat on them during the incident. During her arrest, officers applied a “spit hood” to Williams’ face, the footage shows.
Before her death, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office charged Williams with resisting arrest and aggravated battery to a police officer, according to reporting by the Chicago Tribune.
On June 1, her family filed a federal lawsuit accusing the city, along with six EPD officers, of excessive force, battery and failure to intervene. The filing alleges the responding officers’ physical contact “was the proximate cause of Ms. Williams’ cardiac arrest and subsequent coma.”
The lawsuit alleges an officer slapped and cursed at Williams while she was being handcuffed. It also alleges the responding officers “used force to hold her down by her head, neck, and arms,” ignoring her “visibly grunting and gasping for air in an obvious attempt to save her own life.” The lawsuit alleges officers then pinned Williams down “as she slowly suffocated.”
“Upon information and belief, Ms. Williams suffered cardiac arrest while she was being overpowered by the officers,” the court filing reads.
In a Thursday statement to The Daily, an EPD spokesperson wrote the department and city are “aware of the lawsuit that has been filed” but unable to comment on the allegations or the January incident “because this matter is the subject of pending federal litigation.”
In his statement, Henderson vowed to continue pursuing the family’s lawsuit.
“While Felicea’s life has ended, this family’s pursuit of accountability has not,” the attorney wrote. “We remain committed to ensuring that every fact surrounding this tragedy is brought to light through the legal process.”
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