Waukegan Shooting: Marcellis Stinnette Was 'Still Breathing' When Cops Covered Him With Blanket, Girlfriend Says

Police officers in an Illinois city allegedly covered a wounded Black man with a blanket while he was still alive after they shot him last week, according to a statement released Tuesday.

Tafara Williams, a survivor of the Oct. 20 shooting in Waukegan, accused the officers of covering her boyfriend, 19-year-old Marcellis Stinnette, while he was still breathing, NBC News reported.

"They laid Marcellis on the ground and covered him up with a blanket while he was still breathing," said an emotional Williams, 20, from her hospital bed. "I know he was still alive."

A police officer was "investigating an occupied vehicle" on the night of Oct. 20, according to an initial police statement released the morning after the incident. When the vehicle fled, another officer arrived at the scene and got out of his car. However, the vehicle Stinnette was in reversed toward the second officer, who shot at the car “in fear of his safety,” according to the police.

Stinnette was transported alive to that hospital, where he later died of his injuries. Williams also was hospitalized after suffering gunshot wounds to her stomach and hand, and she was still being treated late Tuesday night.

The officer, whose name was not released, was terminated from the force on Oct. 23 after he committed “multiple policy and procedure violations,” USA Today reported.

Bodycam footage showing the Waukegan police officer opening fire on the victims’ car is expected to be released before Thursday. Mayor Sam Cunningham said he would release the police video after the families of the victims view the footage.

Lake County State’s Attorney Michael Nerheim asked the U.S. Justice Department to launch an investigation of the incident, and requested that the FBI join the investigation. Once the probe is complete, the case will be turned over to the state attorney’s office, ABC News reported.

“As I have said before, once the investigation is concluded, all the evidence will be reviewed and a final decision will be made with respect to any potential charges,” Nerheim said. '

The Waukegan police shooting comes after Philadelphia police killed 27-year-old Walter Wallace Jr. on Monday evening after they fired more than a dozen shots at him, The New York Times reported.

The U.S. has seen widespread protests against abusive policing and racial injustice since George Floyd died during an attempted arrest by Minneapolis police in May.