Video From I-90 Officer-Involved Shooting To Be Released Today

ELGIN, IL – The Elgin Police Department plans to release the video from an officer-involved shooting today. Police are planning to first show the video to the family of Decynthia Clements, the woman fatally shot along Interstate 90 on March 12, this morning, Chief Jeffrey Swoboda told the Daily Herald.

The video will then be shown to community leaders, including the city council and local pastors, before it is released to the media at some point this afternoon, Swoboda told the Daily Herald.

Clements was shot by Lt. Christian Jensen, a 19-year Elgin Police Department veteran and current SWAT team member, during the March 12 incident.

The Illinois Police Department has been investigating the shooting. Swoboda told the Elgin Courier-News several hours of video would likely be released, which would include several feeds from both squad and body cameras.

Swoboda said his department decided to release the video to the public despite the Illinois State Police preference not to while the case was under investigation.

"...our community needs answers," Swoboda said.

Here is the full post released by Swoboda last week on Facebook:

I'm here to provide you with an update regarding Monday’s police-involved shooting. As a reminder, I cannot provide any details on the investigation of Decynthia Clements’ death as it is being handled by Illinois State Police. I do, however, want to tell you about our timeline to release video footage from the incident. Although the investigation is expected to last several months, we recognize that the public has a right to know what happened. It is against the preference of the Illinois State Police to release the video, but our community needs answers. It is our understanding the Illinois State Police will be concluding the interview portion of the investigation next week. That being said, we plan to release the videos at the end of next week.

Protesters have gathered outside the police department in recent weeks, some who were related to Clements, demanding police provide more answers into what happened to lead to the shooting.

The shooting occurred along Interstate 90 early on March 12 after police first allegedly made contact with Clements at about 12:34 a.m. when they spotted her in a "suspicious vehicle" in the area of Cedar Avenue in Elgin. She then fled the scene, Elgin Police Department Chief Jeffrey Swoboda said in a press conference.
Officers attempted to get her to stop her vehicle, but eventually ended their chase. A short time later, officers spotted the vehicle on westbound Interstate 90 near Route 25. It had "obvious damage," Swoboda said.

• WATCH: Press Conference On Elgin Officer-Involved Shooting

Officers made contact with the woman and saw she was armed with a knife. They then "disengaged from the vehicle" and attempted to negotiate with the woman for more than an hour.

During that time, the woman periodically moved her car several feet, Swoboda said. When officers noticed a fire that had started inside the vehicle, they approached it to rescue the woman.
"There was an exchange, which we are still investigating, during which the officer discharged their weapon," Swoboda said.

The woman was taken to St. Alexius Hospital in Hoffman Estates, where she was pronounced dead.

• Veteran Elgin Cop Shot Woman Following I-90 Standoff: Police

Photo caption: Elgin Lt. Christian Jensen/Photo credit: Elgin Police Department