Woman sues over son’s fatal police shooting

The mother of a man fatally shot by Chicago Police officers in October 2013 has filed a federal lawsuit over her son’s death.

Lenora Bonds alleges that her son, Terrance Harris, did nothing to justify the use of deadly force when he was shot 28 times in the basement of the home they shared in the 200 block of East 107th.

She also claims officers did not promptly call for medical attention, that she was unlawfully detained by officers, and that police manufactured allegations that her son attacked officers with a knife. Bonds filed her lawsuit against the city Tuesday.

“We will pursue dismissal of this case as the complaint was filed past the statute of limitations,” said Bill McCaffrey, a spokesman for the city’s law department.

The Independent Police Review Authority found Harris’ shooting was justified, records indicate. That agency’s account of the shooting indicates Harris declared “I ain’t going back to jail, somebody’s gonna die!” It also said he ambushed a police sergeant, stabbing him in the head and face several times with a large chef’s knife.

Bonds said in her lawsuit that her son had been diagnosed with a mental health issue and had been acting strange. She said she called police but later told officers everything was fine. She said they stormed the house anyway, found her son hiding in a back room in the basement next to the furnace, and fired 32 bullets, striking him 28 times.

She also complained that police removed his body through a ground-level basement window they had broken out to avoid onlookers from seeing Harris’ condition.