Parents of 19-year-old Illinois boy killed by police

‘Within 50 seconds of police arriving, this officer beats this young lady’: Illinois police are suing the death of Alexis Wilson, 19, after video shows alleged police violence

The parents of an Illinois teen want answers after their daughter picks up dinner at a drive-through restaurant but never makes it home. The family of Alexis Wilson, 19, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Illinois police officers who are accused of beating and killing the teenager.

“Alexis was the sweetest girl in our family, she absolutely loved everyone,” said Cara Wilson, mother of Alexis Wilson.

On the one year anniversary of her daughter’s death, Cara Wilson is still heartbroken over what happened to Alexis Wilson of Homewood, Illinois on July 27, 2021. Homewood is about 25 miles south of Chicago, and on the night Wilson was killed, she was ordering food from Baba’s Famous Steak and Lemonade Restaurant, but something was wrong with her order. Cara Wilson says the manager refused to correct the order or issue a refund, resulting in Alexis Wilson walking through the drive-through to try to get the attention of another employee.

“Their food wasn’t ready yet, there was an argument at the window between my daughter and one of the workers. The workers were angry and said we never give you your order,” said Alonzo Wilson, Alexis’ father.

Alonzo Wilson says when his daughter tried to get the employees’ attention, she hit the drive-thru window with a stick. Employees believed the item in Alexis Wilson’s hand was a weapon.

“Someone in the restaurant called the police and said, hey, there’s a girl banging the window with a gun,” Alonzo Wilson said.

When the police arrived, things quickly cleared up. Surveillance and bodycam videos show what happened next as officers asked Alexis and her boyfriend to get out of the van she was driving. The lawsuit and video of the incident show Alexis Wilson’s boyfriend exited the van, but Alexis refused, claiming she was improperly dressed. She can be heard on camera saying, “I’m naked,” and another person told her, “Cover yourself with a robe or something.”

After Wilson refused to get out of the van, an officer opened her door and allegedly hit the 19-year-old on the head, her family’s attorney claims.

“Within 50 seconds of the police arriving, this officer punched this young lady in the car,” said Gregory Kulis, the attorney representing Alexis Wilson’s family in the wrongful death lawsuit.

Kulis says the police did everything except de-escalate the situation.

“If someone starts hitting you, your first reaction is to get away from it, and that’s what she did, and officers started shooting and killing her,” Kulis said.

Bodycam video shows after the officer allegedly punched Alexis Wilson, she drove away, resulting in officers firing seven shots at her van. As Alexis Wilson was driving away, she crashed into a nearby bike shop about a block away, where she died from gunshot wounds, according to the family attorney. Coolies also says that a gun was later found in Wilson’s van and her boyfriend was charged with possessing it.

“Do you know what happened after that? They left my daughter in a destroyed building and took care of the officers,” Alonzo Wilson said of the moments after the Alexis crash.

As the one-year anniversary of Alexis Wilson’s death nears, the Illinois State Police are still investigating the shooting.

“The prosecutor can go back and look at it and ask more questions, then the prosecutor will decide whether or not to prosecute these officers for criminal acts,” Kulis said.

The Cook County Attorney’s Office sent the Atlanta Black Star a statement on the case, saying the case is still under investigation by the prosecutor to determine if charges are appropriate.

Kulis says the family has not currently determined a dollar amount for their civil suit. The more pressing concern for Alexis Wilson’s parents is that they want the investigation to be completed soon and the officers involved to be criminally charged.

“More than anything, they want answers, why did this happen? How did that happen and they want to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again,” Kulis said.