$10.5M Settlement Reached In Fatal Elk Grove Police Shooting

ELK GROVE VILLAGE, IL — A $10.5 million settlement has been reached in a civil lawsuit filed after Elk Grove Village police shot and killed 24-year-old Jack Murray during a mental health crisis in December 2023.

The settlement with Elk Grove Village and four police officers was approved Tuesday by the Elk Grove Village Board. Romanucci & Blandin, the law firm representing Murray's mother, Donna Murray, as administrator of his estate, announced the settlement Wednesday.

The firm said the settlement is, to its knowledge, the largest reported settlement in an Illinois civil lawsuit involving a police shooting in which the person killed was not a bystander.

Previous Patch Coverage

Patch previously reported Murray was shot Dec. 1, 2023, after Elk Grove Village police responded to the 200 block of Fern Drive for a report of a man with a knife.

Police said at the time Murray came out of a residence with a knife and confronted officers. Murray was taken to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

The five officers who responded to the call were placed on administrative leave under department policy, police said at the time. The Major Case Assistance Team also investigated the use of force.

Patch later reported Mayor Craig Johnson said police used a Taser before fatally shooting Murray, calling it a "less lethal option." Johnson said at the time Murray ignored commands to drop the knife and put his hands up.

Elk Grove Village released audio and video footage from the shooting approximately three weeks after the incident. Patch reported the footage showed Murray walking near his home with what police said was an 11.5-inch knife before officers used a Taser and then opened fire.

The Murray family and its attorneys disputed the village’s framing of the video and said police should have done more to de-escalate the situation.

Civil Lawsuit And Settlement

Patch reported in May 2024 that Murray’s family had filed a civil lawsuit against Elk Grove Village over how officers handled the Dec. 1 encounter.

The lawsuit alleged officers used excessive force and failed to properly respond to a person in a mental health crisis. Counts in the complaint included willful and wanton wrongful death, willful and wanton survival action, battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

In Wednesday's announcement, Romanucci & Blandin said Murray called 911 himself on the day he was killed. The firm said Elk Grove Village police had at least 26 prior encounters with Murray, including calls in which officers helped get him transported for mental health treatment.

The law firm said multiple officers who responded that day knew Murray by name, and that the department classified the 911 call as a mental health call.

Attorneys for the family said Murray was 18 feet from officers and holding a kitchen knife when police opened fire. The firm said officers fired five shots at Murray about one minute after he walked outside his family’s home.

Romanucci & Blandin said officers failed to use crisis communication techniques, did not contact department social workers, did not reposition or create distance, and did not use a beanbag shotgun available at the scene. Attorneys also said officers did not warn Murray before opening fire.

"Jack's death was preventable," the law firm said in the release. "Jack died because the officers disregarded what they knew about Jack, their own Department's policies, and their training for responding to a person in a mental health crisis."

Mayor: Officers Were 'Completely Exonerated'

Before the Village Board approved the settlement Tuesday, Johnson read a statement saying the village’s insurance carriers reached the settlement in the pending litigation brought by Donna Murray as representative of Jack Murray's estate.

Johnson said the $10.5 million payment will come from the village’s insurance carriers and not from Elk Grove Village taxpayers.

"With this action, Elk Grove taxpayers won't be financially responsible for this lawsuit," Johnson said.

Johnson said he was "beyond disappointed" with the outcome, saying officers were "completely exonerated in their actions by multiple agencies."

The mayor said the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, the Office of the Illinois State's Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor and the Major Case Assistance Team reviewed the incident and found no wrongdoing by the village or its police officers.

"Elk Grove Village and its legal counsel have maintained that the municipality and law enforcement officers' actions were appropriate and compliant with all protocols," Johnson said.

Johnson said the settlement was reached "at the insistence of and at the behest of" the village's insurance carriers, which he said issued an ultimatum requiring the village to accept the negotiated settlement or assume responsibility for ongoing legal defense fees and a possible jury award.

"Our primary fiduciary responsibility is to protect the taxpayers and the financial stability of this community," Johnson said.

Johnson called the shooting "a very sad and tragic incident" and said the village continues to offer condolences and prayers to Murray's family and loved ones.

"The village remains committed to transparency, accountability, and the highest standards of professional policing," Johnson said.

Johnson closed his statement by saying, "In this village, we back our blue 1,000 percent. Our officers were exonerated, and that needs to be remembered."

Attorneys Criticize Mayor's Remarks

Attorneys for Murray's family sharply criticized Johnson's comments, saying the settlement reflected the loss suffered by Murray's family.

In a statement, Romanucci & Blandin founding partner Antonio M. Romanucci said the Murray family "never accepted" the village's narrative that police acted within the rules and their own policies.

"The video of this encounter shows otherwise, and no amount of spin on what the eyes see can undo the reality of what happened," Romanucci said.

Romanucci said Murray "was a person in a mental health crisis, not a criminal."

"We hope this result sends a clear message to Elk Grove Village and to every police department in this state: if your officers meet a person in crisis with bullets instead of the care, the planning, and the de-escalation they are supposed to provide, you will be held accountable," Romanucci said.

Romanucci also criticized Johnson's comments, saying the mayor's disappointment in the settlement "devalues Jack's life."

Donna Murray said Wednesday marked 929 days since her son’s death.

"We are all broken, fractured and that will never be fixed," Donna Murray said. "We do not want Jack's memory to be of that video the Village of Elk Grove put out. We want all of you to know him, the real him."

She described her son as loving, caring, funny and smart, and said the family plans to move forward with ways of helping others in Jack's name.

No Criminal Charges Context

The Cook County State's Attorney's Office previously declined to file criminal charges against officers in connection with the shooting.

In Wednesday's release, attorneys for Murray's family disputed Johnson's characterization that officers had been "completely exonerated." The law firm noted that the State's Attorney's Office said its conclusion was based on criminal laws and standards of proof and did not limit civil actions.

Romanucci & Blandin attorney Joshua M. Levin said the decision not to bring criminal charges was not the same as a finding that officers did nothing wrong.

"The Mayor can call his officers flawless, but he was unwilling to put the Village's own money on the line to prove it in front of a jury," Levin said.

The civil case was settled through mediation led by retired Judge Kay M. Hanlon of ADR Systems in May, according to Romanucci & Blandin.

Related Patch Coverage

• Police Used Taser Prior To Fatal Shooting In Elk Grove Village: Mayor
• Fatal Police Shooting Video, Audio Released In Elk Grove Village
• Fatal Police Shooting: Civil Lawsuit Filed Against Elk Grove Village