Officers, the deputy shooting at the Rockford casino was justified

Several Rockford police officers and officers from other police departments responded to the shooting involving an officer on Saturday, May 28, 2022, in the parking lot of the Hard Rock Rockford Casino on the east side of town. According to police, the officers shot a man who pointed a gun at them.

ROCKFORD – Two Rockford police officers and an off-duty Winnebago County Sheriff’s Deputy were right to use deadly force on a gunman outside the Rockford Casino on May 28, according to Winnebago County State’s Attorney J. Hanley.

No criminal charges are warranted in this case, Hanley said in a nine-page memorandum released Thursday after Hanley reviewed the investigation by the Winnebago Boone Integrity Task Force.

Bradley Thompkins, 51, was fatally shot by officers responding to a gunman’s call in the parking lot of the casino, 610 N. Bell School Road.

Thompkins was shot by Rockford Police Officers Dion Embrey and Jordan Black and Sheriff’s Deputy Giorgi Arbisi after pointing a gun at officers in the parking lot. An off-duty deputy who was working in casino security at the time of the shooting did not fire his weapon.

Body worn and dashboard camera footage of the shooting shows Thompkins held a gun to his own head and fired in the air before pointing the gun at officers.

Thompkins was shot three times in the midsection. He died of his injuries on June 30.

The three officers who fired their weapons said they feared for their own lives and feared for the safety of fellow officers and the general public.

“A criminal prosecution for first or second degree murder would require proof beyond a reasonable doubt that the officers were not legally justified in using deadly force against Thompkins,” Hanley said in a written statement. “In other words, a judge or jury should find that Deputy Arbisi, Officer Black or Officer Embrey did not reasonably believe that they or others were in imminent danger of serious bodily harm. by Thompkins. Based on the totality of the circumstances, Deputy Arbisi’s, Officer Black’s and Officer Embrey’s belief that shooting Thompkins was necessary to protect himself and others from harm. grievous bodily harm was reasonable.”

The task force is led by the Illinois State Police and is made up of area investigators from departments that were not involved in the shooting.

Ken DeCoster covers business news and features. Reach him at 815-987-1391, [email protected] or @DeCosterKen.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: State’s Attorney: Officers and deputy vindicated in Rockford casino shooting