CHICAGO (CBS) — A woman whose boyfriend was shot to death by police officers in the Little Village neighborhood last week is calling for answers. She called them for help, but when they arrived, police claimed the man lunged at officers with a knife.
Charlotta Pritchett said her boyfriend was having a mental health issue, and police used excessive force when they responded to the Albany Terrace Apartments senior building early Friday morning. His family said that, according to the Medical Examiner, he was shot 28 times, and they want to know why.
“Before I can get out of the chair to say, hey, I’m the lady who called. I didn’t get a chance to get to the door when we heard this enormous amount of gunfire, at least 35 or 40 rounds,” Pritchett said.
Shortly after 2 a.m. Friday morning, Pritchett called the police asking for help with her boyfriend, who was holding a knife. They arrived on the sixth floor of the Chicago Housing Authority building minutes later. That’s when the Chicago Police Department said officers knocked on an apartment door and were confronted by a man who pulled out a knife and lunged at officers.