The family of a Carol Stream man fatally shot by police has filed a federal lawsuit, alleging the death of Isaac Goodlow III was a wrongful act by the police department. Citing an incident that occurred on February 3, the suit claims Goodlow was shot in his apartment after officers responded to a domestic dispute call. The dispute, however, involved Goodlow and his girlfriend, who the lawsuit states was not present in the apartment at the time authorities arrived. According to NBC Chicago, Goodlow's uncle Henry Pigram expressed his grief, saying, "This is wrong. This is wrong," and described the police action as an "ambush."
While the Carol Stream Police Department has remained quiet about the specifics of the event, Goodlow's family has viewed a redacted version of the body camera footage, prompting them to assertively move forward with the lawsuit. Goodlow's sister, Kyenna McConico, shared her horror after witnessing the footage with CBS News, stating, "They lied. What they did was unjustified. They went in there and they shot my brother in his sleep. And we want justice." The lawsuit alleges that the 30-year-old was unarmed and asleep in his bed when police raided his apartment without just cause or a warrant.
The lawsuit also highlights disturbing claims about how Goodlow was treated after he was shot. "And if that wasn’t bad enough, while he lay on the floor bleeding they tased him," attorney Steven A. Hart said regarding the officers' actions post-shooting, a statement obtained by NBC Chicago. It paints a bleak picture of what the family and their attorneys describe as excessive police force. The Carol Stream Police Department released a statement acknowledging the lawsuit and noting their anticipation for the findings of an ongoing investigation.
Bonnie Pigram, Isaac Goodlow's mother, conveyed her anguish in a statement to CBS News, saying, "They shot my son down like a dog. They shot him down like a dog; like he wasn't even a human being. Isaac was a good man. We were real close. We was real close." The family's legal action not only seeks to uncover all body camera footage but also to identify the officers involved, demanding their names be released to the public. As it stands, the two officers related to the fatal incident remain on administrative leave while community scrutiny continues to intensify.
