UPDATE: After a great question in the comments, called his sister (who is very moved by the support) and he’s covered by the ACA. However, they only cover so much, and between deductibles, the air-evac, and the patient cost-sharing, it’s far more than they can afford—especially with him unable to work as a contractor (construction) until the hole in his liver and broken ribs heal. I’d wondered why they were only asking for $5k, given his ICU stay and the like—that’s why. With the ACA, it’s not as crazy as it would have been in the dark days the Republicans want to return to. In all sincerity: Thanks, Obama.
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Where we stand: he’s out of the hospital and trying to recover now at home. He has yet to be charged, which I think is a good sign but which his family thinks is just an indication of a slow process. This is an update to the diary from earlier this week: Advice Needed: 40-year-old man shot in chest by police during response to noise complaint
I’m going to start with my beloved spirit sister’s words because I think EVERY AMERICAN needs to read them:
I never expected to be so personally involved in a Black Lives Matter case. And when I did worry about my family it was always my 20 somethings cousins that I feared might be reckless during a protest or just hanging out with the wrong people. Never did it cross my mind that my 40yo brother was still a target!
And from there my mind wanders to other things I've taken for granted as safe or harmless. I'm trying not to let anxiety overrun me but it's hard every time Donald Trump appears on screen with the title Presidential Candidate reminding me how hateful this country is to have allowed him to get this close to being in charge!
HOW YOU CAN HELP: His family is OBVIOUSLY relieved as can be that he’s home—that’s not the outcome you expect/dread when you get a call that your brother was shot in the chest by police. But now they’re facing huge medical bills (thanks for that, too, Decatur police). His sister (full disclosure: my kids’ aunt) set up a give forward site to help raise some money to help with the costs. If you’re in the Decatur area, he could also use help walking his two dogs at the moment, so even if you aren’t in a position to give anything, you can still help in a very meaningful way.
I’m including excerpts from his sister’s email to me—I asked her to write it down so it would be there later if she needed it recorded in a time-stamped fashion for any reason. They also took a video of him saying what happened as soon as he was able to speak in the hospital. I don’t have permission to share it here, so I’m not going to at this time. She wrote her email right after that, so you have the details, if not in his actual voice:
Sigh, this has been harder to write than I expected...
My brother, Lonnie Dale Mitchell,II, was shot by a police officer in Decatur, IL about 1am on July 11, 2016. He says he was walking away from a party at a friend's, a few blocks from his house, when a police car pulled up to the house he'd just left. He says he was spotted by the officers and recalled to the party. As he approached the officers he held up his hands and informed them that his bracelet had a knife which he was removing. He says he unsnapped the bracelet, it fell off and he stepped over it, with his hands still up. Lonnie says the officer told him to get down on the ground but he refused. He said he told the officer that he was afraid he'd be shot in the back. Then he said he felt an abrupt pain in his chest and looked at the officer and asked, "Did you shoot me?" as his knees buckled and he hit the ground. He said he could hear screams around him but couldn't move or speak but that he could feel his blood pooling around him and he wondered if they'd call an ambulance.
Lonnie was taken to the hospital in Decatur but they immediately airlifted him to a larger hospital. He spent 6 days in Springfield's Memorial hospital, discharged on July 17th with a broken rib and a damaged liver. He also thinks there are still bullet fragments in his body.
We are looking into attorneys for a legal battle. We assume the police are going to come up with charges to justify the shooting so that means a criminal case before we can even get to a lawsuit! It's been a whirlwind of emotions and logistics to handle.
If you can help in any way (other than financially—just use the site) please Kosmail me and I’ll get you in touch with Lonnie’s family.
Please. please don’t write this off just because he survived. Please keep in mind that he were a white man, this would not have happened. WOULD NOT. His family may still be blessed enough to have him here, but let me just remind you again:
Underneath all those horrible stitches is a liver that was pierced by a ricocheting bullet.
And also, lest you fixate on the fact that he had a bb gun—it would have been 100% legal for him to have a REAL gun. Black lives matter, dammit, and this country needs to realize that.
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