An Illinois cop shot Amir Worship. His family is demanding justice.
CHICAGO — Twelve-year-old Amir Worship was sitting on his bed, shirtless and with his hands up, when an Illinois police officer shot him in the knee with an AR-15 rifle during a SWAT raid before dawn.
Five surgeries and four years later, he suffers from PTSD and a permanent disability.
Amir and his mother, Crystal Worship, sued the officer – who claims to have accidentally shot – and the suburb of Richton Park, Illinois, during the 2019 incident, alleging the officer intentionally or recklessly shot Amir.
Atttoneys announced a $12 million settlement in the case on Wednesday. Although multiple investigations have found no misconduct, the family is now asking county prosecutors to hold the officer accountable.
“He was never disciplined and never even taken off the streets,” said family attorney Al Hofeld, Jr. “You can’t just shoot a 12-year-old for no reason. and do so with impunity.”
What happened to Amir Worship?
Worship and his family were sleeping on May 26, 2019, when a SWAT team entered the home “with explosive flash grenades”, guns and “other displays of deadly force”, the attorneys said. “They knew there were children living in that house,” Hofeld said.
Officers were executing a search warrant for Crystal Worship’s boyfriend, who was arrested and charged with drug possession, the attorneys said. The charges were later dropped.
Officers entered the rooms of Amir and his two brothers, shouted orders and pointed guns at them, lawyers said. “The children were terrified of being killed. They never refused to follow instructions, resisted, attempted to flee or posed any threat,” the lawyers said in a press release.
That’s when the officer’s gun went off, hitting and shattering Amir’s right kneecap and injuring other bones, the lawyers said. Amir has had five surgeries and physical therapy and is expected to require multiple knee replacements in his lifetime, attorneys said. “He will no longer be able to practice any sport,” the statement said.
After the shooting, Amir suffered “a lot” of pain, stayed in his room for days and lost his confidence, Crystal Worship said at a press conference on Wednesday. “There were a lot of sleepless nights,” said Worship, who moved the family to Texas after the incident.
Now 16, Amir is sleeping better, has regained his confidence and “just wants to be happy”, Worship said.
What happened to the policeman who shot Amir Worship?
Caleb Blood, a Richton Park policeman who was acting as a member of the South Suburb Emergency Response Team, was later fired from the team. Three investigations — one conducted by Illinois State Police and two by Richton Park — found no misconduct, according to Hofeld.
The settlement includes a public apology from Richton Park, a private apology from Blood, and a commitment from Blood to retrain and recertify.
In a statement Wednesday, the Village of Richton Park apologized for Blood’s “tragic error” and said “the accidental shooting of innocent 12-year-old Amir, which could have resulted in his death, would not have never had to happen”.
Jim Sotos, who represents Blood, told USA TODAY that the village’s statement reflected Blood’s views. He added: ‘Officer Blood acknowledges that this was just a tragic accident that should not have happened.
Crystal Worship said she accepted Blood’s apology, but her actions were “reckless”. She said “justice would be served” if the Cook County State’s Attorney reopened its investigation and brought charges.
Previously, other plaintiffs, including Amir’s brothers, had settled with other defendants, including the SWAT commander and another officer, excessive force allegations, for a total of $322,000, Hofeld said.
“That’s exactly what’s going to happen in Chicago if officers don’t universally change their practice of pointing guns indiscriminately,” said Hofeld, whose firm represents 30 children of color — the mostly under the age of 10 – who had guns pointed at them by law enforcement.
More than 1,000 people are killed each year by US law enforcement, including a disproportionate number of black Americans, according to a Washington Post database that tracks fatal police shootings. It is unclear how many more people the police kill by other means or are injured each year.
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