Quincy Birts
Age: 27
Date of Death: 11/9/1999
South Side Man Dies After Being Shot By Cop
November 11, 1999|By Bradley Keoun, Tribune Staff Writer.
Tribune staff writer Terry Wilson contributed to this report.
A South Side man died of gunshot wounds to the face, a day after being shot by police who went to his home to investigate reports that he had been robbed at gunpoint, the Cook County medical examiner’s office said Wednesday.
Quincy Birts, 27, of the 8000 block of South Peoria Street, was pronounced dead at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Christ Hospital and Medical Center, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office.
While offering few new details Wednesday about the shooting, police reiterated that they believe the police shooting was justified.
Police have said they believe Birts struggled free from an assailant, shot the assailant and then emerged from his apartment with a gun in his hand, just as police were arriving.
He ignored officers’ warnings to drop the gun and was shot by an officer who was in fear for his life, police spokesman Pat Camden said.
Camden said Wednesday no arrests have been made.
The police shooting will be reviewed by the department’s Office of Professional Standards, but Camden said the officer’s shooting was ruled in accordance with department policy and state law.
Police have said that Birts and his wife were walking near their apartment in the 8000 block of South Peoria Street about 8:25 p.m. Monday when they were approached by two men, both masked and armed.
According to police, one of the men forced Birts into his apartment at gunpoint, while the other man forced his wife into a vehicle. The woman was robbed of jewelry and money and was forced out of the vehicle a few blocks away.
She flagged down a police officer and urged him to return to the couple’s apartment.
When police arrived, they heard gunshots coming from inside the building. After calling for backup, officers entered the building, and Birts was shot after he emerged from his apartment with the gun, police said.
Although Quincy Birts falls outside the date parameters for this project, his name was included by request of his family.
Gone But Not Forgotten 