CHICAGO – The girlfriend of a 21-year-old man shot by Chicago police officers has filed a wrongful death suit against them and the city.
Esperanza Davila, as administrator of the estate of Hector Hernandez and on behalf of his minor children, filed a complaint on Oct. 19 in Cook County Circuit Court against the city of Chicago and two Chicago police officers, alleging wrongful death.
According to the complaint, Hernandez was at the plaintiff's house on April 7, 2014, and was involved in a nonviolent, verbal argument with her. The suit states officers arrived at the plaintiff's residence and entered it with their firearms drawn and, without provocation or the threat of harm, shot Hernandez. The suit states eight of 13 rounds were fired into Hernandez's back and buttocks. Hernandez died the same day, the suit states.
The suit states the plaintiff previously filed this suit in November 2017 in federal court and her state law claims were dismissed without prejudice on Oct. 17.
The plaintiff alleges the defendants used excessive and inappropriate deadly force and failed to use or allowed to be used less-dangerous means of restraint.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks an amount of more than $50,000 and further relief. She is represented by Antonio M. Romanucci, Bhavani Raveendran and Bryce T. Hensley of Romanucci & Blandin LLC in Chicago and Jeffrey B. Granich and Joshua L. Morrison of Law Offices of Jeffrey Granich in Chicago.
Cook County Circuit Court case number 2018L011384