Report says order to drop gun ignored

CHICAGO — Witnesses told investigators that a white suburban Chicago police officer who fatally shot a black security guard outside the bar where the guard worked had repeatedly asked him to drop a gun, Illinois State Police revealed without addressing reports that bar patrons had shouted at the officer that the man was a security guard.

The news release sent late Tuesday marks the first time that the state police agency has addressed in detail what happened early Sunday when officers were dispatched to the bar in response to a call about gunfire. It comes as questions have swirled about whether the shooting was justified and whether race played a role.

According to previous reports, when officers from various departments arrived, they found at least three people had been shot inside the bar. Security guard Jamel Roberson was outside, armed with a gun, holding a suspect.

An attorney who is representing Roberson’s mother in a lawsuit over the shooting has said that the 26-year-old was wearing a hat emblazoned with the word “Security’ on it. However, the police news release says only that Roberson was wearing “plain black clothing with no markings readily identifying him as a Security Guard.” It says nothing about a hat.

The release did not say why the agency took the unusual step of revealing information before the agency’s investigation is completed.