Pedro Gonzalez III, a 21-year-old Hispanic man, was fatally shot by police officers in Humboldt Park, Chicago, on June 15, 2011. He was standing outside the home of his deceased friend, 15-year-old Jovany Diaz, when officers approached. Witnesses said Gonzalez ran; police said he then pointed a gun at them and they opened fire. Some witnesses disputed that he had a gun. The Independent Police Review Authority opened an investigation into the officers’ actions.

Gonzalez’s death came two days after Jovany Diaz was shot and killed while celebrating his birthday; Diaz was not the intended target of that earlier shooting. Family members and community residents expressed grief and anger and called for accountability, with Pedro Gonzalez Jr., the victim’s father, questioning the necessity of deadly force.

What additional information or eyewitness accounts might help clarify what happened that night?