Darius Cole-Garrit, a 21-year-old African American man, was shot and killed by Chicago police officers on August 19, 2014, during a foot chase on the Far South Side near 133rd Street and Forrestville Avenue at about 9:30 p.m. Family accounts say officers had threatened him earlier in the day at Golden Gate Park, leaving him frightened enough to call his girlfriend. That evening officers in an unmarked SUV reportedly nearly ran him over and then fired 16 shots, striking him nine times as he fled. Police said Cole-Garrit pointed a gun at them; a gun was recovered roughly 20 feet from his body.

There was no video of the encounter because it occurred before officers were equipped with body cameras. The Independent Police Review Authority investigated and deemed the shooting justified. The shooting provoked a 2016 lawsuit by Cole-Garrit’s family alleging a targeted, premeditated killing; that lawsuit survived multiple dismissal attempts and was delayed by the federal court shutdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. In December 2023 the City Council voted 31-18 to settle the suit for $2 million, including more than $800,000 in lawyers’ fees; no criminal charges or disciplinary reprimands against the officers were reported.

Does anyone have firsthand information about Cole-Garrit’s visit to Chicago or the events that evening?