Vermilion County State’s Attorney says Police Shooting of Kaiyewu Justified

The Vermilion County state's attorney says officers from the Champaign and Vermilion County sheriffs' departments, and the University of Illinois police acted properly when they shot a 23 year old medical student to death near Oakwood --- ending a police chase that began in Douglas County.

State's Attorney Randy Brinegar says his conclusion comes after reviewing a more than 300-page state police report, and 30 audio and video recordings about the shooting of "Toto" Kaiyewu of Texas on April 6th.

Brinegar says there's "limited" squad car video that shows Kaiyewu brandishing a machete as he approaches police, after police stop-sticks forced him to stop his car on I-74 near the Oakwood exit. And he says "independent witness statements" confirm threatening behavior in his initial encounter with a police officer in the Douglas County town of Villa Grove. Brinegar says the statements confirm "that the suspect did place his car in reverse and back up toward the Villa Grove police officer."

Brinegar had little to say about why Kaiyewu acted as he did. He says an autopsy and toxicology tests found only marijuana and caffeine in his system. He would not comment on Kaiyewu's mental state, and said he would not release his medical and psychological records without permission from his family.

The family of Toto Kaiyewu questioned last month whether he truly threatened officers. Brinegar says his heart goes out of Kaiyewu's family and friends, and calls his death "every parent's nightmare".