Police Brutality / Individual record
Justus Howell
Justus Howell, 17, was shot twice in the back by Zion, Illinois police on April 4, 2015; relatives and local advocates challenged the killing.
- Record ID
- PB-145
- Incident date
- April 4, 2015
- Outcome
- Fatal
- Location
- Zion, IL
- Agency
- Zion Police Department
- Category
- Fatal on-duty police shooting
- Age (reported)
- 17
What happened
On April 4, 2015, Officer Eric Hill pursued 17-year-old Justus Howell after a reported altercation involving a gun in Zion, Illinois. Hill shot Howell twice in the back as the teenager ran. The Lake County coroner described both wounds, including one that passed through vital organs, and classified the death as a homicide in the medical manner-of-death sense. Police said Howell had a gun and turned toward the officer; two witnesses told the Chicago Sun-Times he did not appear armed when he was shot. Howell's grandmother Alice and the Lake County NAACP demanded justice and helped organize support. The Lake County prosecutor later accepted the officer's explanation and declined charges. That legal outcome does not eliminate the conflicting witnesses or the documented fact that a 17-year-old was struck from behind.
Investigation & findings
In May 2015 the Lake County State's Attorney determined the shooting was legally justified and filed no criminal charges against Hill. Coroner classified Howell's death as homicide, a medical classification distinct from a criminal finding.
Washington Post Fatal Force v2; 2015–2024
Source record details
- Source incident ID
- 296
- Race code in source
- B
- Race source method
- not_available
- Gender (source)
- male
- Armed status (source)
- gun
- Flee status (source)
- foot
- Agency IDs (source)
- 75
Last reviewed: October 25, 2026
Sources & records
- Primary source
- Additional source
- Methodology and national police killings trackingMapping Police Violence · Dataset/methodology
- Fatal Force v2 — fatal on-duty police shootings, 2015–2024The Washington Post · Dataset
- Fatal Force methodology and data limitationsThe Washington Post · Methodology