Family of Man Killed in Deadly Traffic Stop Sues Rockford

From the Jeff Kolkey's article in the Rockford Register Star

A lawyer representing family of Eddie Patterson has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Winnebago County court against the city of Rockford, arguing the Nov. 5 officer-involved shooting that killed him was not justified.

. . .The lawsuit calls the incident a “horrible and sad tragedy.”

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Telecia Banks, one of Patterson’s two adult daughters, comes as a Winnebago-Boone County Integrity Task Force investigation of what happened continues. Craig Sandberg, a lawyer representing Patterson’s estate, said the lawsuit should allow the family to conduct its own investigation.

“The intention is to allow the task force to complete its investigation,” Sandberg said during a phone interview Monday. “The Patterson family wants to conduct its own investigation ... the transparency that comes from the lawsuit process should let us know what actually happened.”

Sandberg is the same lawyer who represented the Rev. Melvin Brown of Kingdom Authority Church and his family when they sued the city over the August 2009 officer-involved shooting death of Mark Anthony Barmore. . .

Click here to read the full article on the Rockford Register Star website.