Amarià Jones was an outgoing 13-year-old. She loved doing her older sister’s hair. She wanted to be a lawyer when she grew up.And she loved dancing.Her mother, Lawanda Jones, said that’s what Amarià was doing when she was killed by a stray bullet Saturday night in the front room of her Austin home.“Any song she hears, she would get up and dance and have fun. And that’s how she lost her life. Showing me a dance,” Jones said. “As she was showing me the dance, the bullet came flying through the window and hit her in the neck.”Lawanda Jones said her teenage son and two of his friends were on...…Amarià Jones was an outgoing 13-year-old. She loved doing her older sister’s hair. She wanted to be a lawyer when she grew up.And she loved dancing.Her mother, Lawanda Jones, said that’s what Amarià was doing when she was killed by a stray bullet Saturday night in the front room of her Austin home.“Any song she hears, she would get up and dance and have fun. And that’s how she lost her life. Showing me a dance,” Jones said. “As she was showing me the dance, the bullet came flying through the window and hit her in the neck.”Lawanda Jones said her teenage son and two of his friends were on...WW…

The Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday rejected an effort by a Chicago police union to force the destruction of thousands of police complaint records that are more than five years old. The decision was a victory to police accountability advocates who say the records can help identify problematic officers and patterns of abuse.The opinion came in response to a legal challenge from the police union that represents about 12,000 rank-and-file Chicago cops. The union was seeking to enforce a part of its contract with the city that requires old police complaint files be destroyed.The city of...…The Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday rejected an effort by a Chicago police union to force the destruction of thousands of police complaint records that are more than five years old. The decision was a victory to police accountability advocates who say the records can help identify problematic officers and patterns of abuse.The opinion came in response to a legal challenge from the police union that represents about 12,000 rank-and-file Chicago cops. The union was seeking to enforce a part of its contract with the city that requires old police complaint files be destroyed.The city of...WW…

Some Chicago police officers are lashing out after their colleagues were subjected to harsh condemnation over the course of the last week by the city’s mayor and new police superintendent.The officers are accusing Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Supt. David Brown of throwing individual cops under the bus when those city leaders actually bear the blame for failing to plan and prepare for predictable unrest after upheaval in Minneapolis over George Floyd’s killing by police.“There was no f***ing plan in place. You had ample time to prepare, but this administration waited until the last minute, until...…Some Chicago police officers are lashing out after their colleagues were subjected to harsh condemnation over the course of the last week by the city’s mayor and new police superintendent.The officers are accusing Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Supt. David Brown of throwing individual cops under the bus when those city leaders actually bear the blame for failing to plan and prepare for predictable unrest after upheaval in Minneapolis over George Floyd’s killing by police.“There was no f***ing plan in place. You had ample time to prepare, but this administration waited until the last minute, until...WW…

A Humboldt Park man said he recently woke up around 3 a.m. to strange noises in his backyard. When he looked out his window, he saw his neighbor was hacking away at plants with a machete while yelling incoherently.WBEZ agreed to use an alias for the man, whom we’re calling William, because he said he was worried a story might catch his neighbor’s attention and lead to more threats and harassment.William has a pump-action shotgun. He said he grabbed it and pumped it from his window to scare off his neighbor. His neighbor fled, and William called 911. But that did not go as he expected. Even...…A Humboldt Park man said he recently woke up around 3 a.m. to strange noises in his backyard. When he looked out his window, he saw his neighbor was hacking away at plants with a machete while yelling incoherently.WBEZ agreed to use an alias for the man, whom we’re calling William, because he said he was worried a story might catch his neighbor’s attention and lead to more threats and harassment.William has a pump-action shotgun. He said he grabbed it and pumped it from his window to scare off his neighbor. His neighbor fled, and William called 911. But that did not go as he expected. Even...WW…