Shooting survivor Dakotah Earley sues Lightfoot, CPD; claims pursuit policies failed to stop gunman
By TODD FEURER, SARA MACHI, MUGO ODIGWE
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CHICAGO (WBBM) — A man who was shot and robbed in Lincoln Park last year is suing the city, Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Police Supt. David Brown, and two unnamed police officers, claiming Chicago Police Department pursuit policies failed to stop the accused gunman’s violent crime spree earlier.
Attorneys for Dakotah Earley claim police had numerous chances to arrest and stop 19-year-old Tyshon Brownlee before he shot Earley last May. Brownlee is charged with attempted murder and armed robbery in the attack on Earley.
The lawsuit accuses Lightfoot and Brown of acting with “extreme recklessness” and “deliberate indifference” by enforcing police policies limiting pursuits, “knowing full well that there was a high probability that the policy would chill and hamper rank-and-file officers from engaging in pursuits to stop criminals such as Brownlee and his crew.”
Earley, 23, was walking near the corner of Wayne and Webster avenues on May 6, when police and prosecutors say Brownlee robbed him of his cell phone and shot him three times.
The shooting was caught on surveillance video, which shows the man who shot Earley getting out of a white sedan and hiding behind the wall of a building — peeking around the corner as Earley walked down the street.
As Earley approached the corner, the robber came out of hiding and pointed his gun at him. Earley gave the man his bag, then grabbed for the gun, and both fell to the ground as they struggled over the gun.
A second robber with a gun rushed up; and as Earley was struggling with the first robber, one of them can be heard demanding the passcode to his phone. Then the first robber shot Earley and took his cell phone.
As Earley was lying on the ground, the robber again asked him for his passcode before shooting him a second time. After asking the victim for his passcode again, Earley told him some numbers before screaming in pain, and the robber shot him a third time while he was still lying in the street.
Earley was critically wounded. He has had several surgeries and spent days in a coma and on life support. Earley also suffered permanent brain injuries, had part of his leg amputated, and lost part of his colon as a result of the shooting, according to his attorneys. He now uses a wheelchair as a result of his injuries.
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