Darrin Hanna died in November 2011, a week after he was allegedly beaten and repeatedly shocked with a stun gun at the hands of North Chicago police. (Family supplied photo)
Reporting Dana Kozlov
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NORTH CHICAGO, Ill. (CBS) – Family members of Darrin Hanna on Monday played a recording they say proves the North Chicago man was pleading for his life when police arrested him late last year.
Hanna, 45, died a week after he was subdued by North Chicago police during a Nov. 6, 2011 domestic disturbance.
The tape played Monday for city council members was from a police radio. Hanna’s cousin, Ralph Peterson, says the recording is of an agonized Hanna telling officers they were killing him.
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Hanna’s family members wanted to play that recording for the council to further convince them that the officers involved in the arrest should be fired. During the meeting, Hanna’s mother, Gloria Carr, became hysterical.
A Lake County coroner’s report states several factors exacerbated Hanna’s sickle cell anemia, leading to his death. Factors include physical trauma and restraint, the use of a stun gun and Hanna’s chronic cocaine use.
But the family’s attorney says these police reports never mention Hanna’s cries for mercy, as evidenced on the tape.
“We have a police report that describes a totally different scenario than what they said,” attorney Kevin O’Connor says. “They said this man was coming at them, that he’s the aggressor.”
Current North Chicago Police Chief Joe Jackson says he can’t yet comment on the officers’ fate because of the internal investigation. All involved are on desk duty.
Hanna’s mother regained her composure and vowed to keep on fighting.
