Eric Smith, a 22-year-old African-American man from Forest View, Illinois, died on April 9, 1996, after being shot by two Forest View police officers on the Stevenson Expressway near Harlem Avenue. Smith, who was deaf and trained as a wrestler, had become agitated after pulling to the shoulder with his mother, Wanda Hogue, and his grandmother, Lillie Pruitte; he ended up in the expressway and was lightly brushed by a car. Police officers Robert Lawruk (part-time) and Peter Bernal (full-time) arrived to investigate the disturbance.

According to police reports, Smith struggled with Bernal, who had approached with his gun holstered; Smith, described as 6 feet 1 inch and 270 pounds, applied a choke hold on Bernal. Bernal drew his gun and fired at least twice, striking Smith in the chest and abdomen. Despite wounds, Smith continued to hold Bernal, after which Lawruk fired additional shots and Smith collapsed.

Smith’s family and their attorneys called the shooting murder, alleging officers were insensitive to his deafness and claimed officers grabbed Smith, held a gun to his head, beat him with a baton, and used derogatory names before shooting him repeatedly. The case drew attention from the deaf community and raised questions about police interactions with people with disabilities and racial dynamics. Does anyone have further information about how communication needs were handled at the scene or about witnesses present that day?