Cop Shot Woman Twice In Head In Fatal I-90 Shooting: Report

ELGIN, IL — A 34-year-old Elgin woman fatally shot along Interstate 90 by a veteran Elgin Police Department officer was hit by gunfire three times – twice in her head and once in her chest – and also had cocaine in her system at the time of the shooting, a Cook County Medical Examiner's report revealed. According to the medical examiner's report, none of the shots were fired within close range. The report also showed that there were at least seven officers at the scene at the time and a K-9 unit when Clements, who was 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighed 103 pounds, came stumbling out of her burning vehicle with a knife in hand, according to media reports.

The recently released medical examiner's report confirms beliefs Clements' family already had: the fatal police shooting was not justified, the Daily Herald reports. Antonio Romanucci, an attorney for the woman's family, told the Daily Herald just because Clements had a knife did not mean she posed a threat to officers and that police could have "easily" used non-lethal force to de-escalate the situation.

"It proves our initial theory that shooting Decynthia was not necessary," he said. "There's no doubt that when someone's in an emotional episode, the objective is to preserve life rather than take it away."

The report also showed Clements was shocked with a Taser at the same time the Elgin Police Department officer, who has been identified as Christian Jensen, opened fire, according to the Elgin Courier-News. She died from multiple gunshot wounds.

A video released last month from squad car footage and body cameras shed additional light into the incident, which started at about 12:34 a.m. on March 12 when an Elgin Police Department officer spotted Clements in a "suspicious vehicle" along Cedar Avenue. She then fled the scene, ultimately stopping on Interstate 90 near Route 25. After learning she was potentially suicidal and witnessed her putting a knife up to her neck, officers made the decision to close down Interstate 90 as they tried to coax Clements out of her car.

Video from the incident shows Elgin officers going over tactics for apprehending Clements. The officers also alluded to the fact she may have crack cocaine. After negotiating with Clements for more than an hour, the woman's car started on fire.

As Clements' vehicle fills with smoke, she can be seen opening the driver's side door while officers demand for her to put down her knife and get out of the car. She can also be heard coughing. While wielding a knife, she takes between one and two steps toward officers when she is shot.

Prior to the shooting, officers discussed using less-lethal methods, including a 40-mm rubber bullet, and if she got closer, a taser. Clements was taken to St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates where she was pronounced dead.

The medical examiner's report shows one bullet went into the left side of Clements' head and “caused multiple skull fractures, injury to the brain and bleeding around the brain,” according to the Elgin Courier-News. Another bullet fractured her occipital bone, which is near the base of her neck, while a final bullet hit her upper chest and caused bleeding.

An investigation into any wrong-doing in the police-involved shooting continues. The Illinois State Police's Public Integrity Task Force is handling the investigation and there is no exact time frame currently available into when the probe would be complete, police told the Elgin Courier-News.

More via the Elgin Courier-News and the Daily Herald

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