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Jamar Jason Taylor

Age : 33

Gender : Male

Race : Black

Date : 08/24/2021

Location : Chicago Union Station

City : Chicago

County : Cook

State : Illinois

Agency : Amtrak Police Department

Officer(s) :Jeremy Maske

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police after attempted arrest

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 08/24/2021, at approximately 5:00 p.m., Amtrak Police Department officers were waiting at Chicago Union Station for 33-year-old Jamar Jason Taylor of San Leandro, California, who was traveling to Chicago aboard Amtrak's California Zephyr. California law enforcement had alerted Amtrak Police that Taylor was aboard the train and was wanted on multiple warrants, including a newly issued murder warrant from Oakland. Amtrak police checked the passenger manifest and positioned officers to arrest Taylor when Train No. 6 arrived at Track 30.
Taylor was wanted in connection with the 08/21/2021 killing of a 55-year-old man in the 8800 block of International Boulevard in Oakland. Oakland police had responded to a ShotSpotter activation and subsequently obtained what court records described as clear high-definition surveillance video showing Taylor and a vehicle associated with the killing. An Alameda County warrant sought Taylor for murder, possession of a firearm by a felon and other allegations. Taylor was also on probation and had previous convictions that included making criminal threats, attempted grand theft from a person, second-degree commercial burglary and driving under the influence.
When the train arrived in Chicago, Amtrak officers confronted Taylor on the platform. Police said Taylor ran from the officers and knocked down or otherwise injured Amtrak employees while trying to get away. Police radio traffic captured an officer warning other officers that Taylor was running toward them and telling them to take cover.
Police alleged that Taylor then produced a semiautomatic handgun and fired at the Amtrak officers. A later Cook County State's Attorney investigation finally identified the officer who returned fire as Amtrak Police Officer Jeremy Maske, a name that was missing from the original 2021 news coverage. Maske opened fire on Taylor, striking him.
Taylor was transported to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he died from multiple police gunshot wounds. Police recovered a semiautomatic handgun at the scene. An Amtrak employee suffered minor injuries during Taylor's attempt to get away, and an Amtrak officer was transported to a hospital for evaluation. No other officer fired at Taylor.
The circumstances created a potentially dangerous confrontation in a busy passenger station during the evening travel period. Witnesses described people running from the platform and station personnel warning travelers about an active shooter. Amtrak temporarily suspended train service into and out of Chicago Union Station following the gunfire.
Contemporary reporting also raised questions about why Amtrak Police rather than a specialized fugitive-apprehension unit was assigned to intercept Taylor at the crowded station. The U.S. Marshals Service, which routinely assists local agencies in apprehending violent fugitives, confirmed that it was not involved in the operation.
Chicago Police Department investigators responded to the scene, interviewed witnesses and prepared the initial investigative report. The case was subsequently investigated by CPD's Incident Response Team. Investigators reviewed civilian and law-enforcement witness interviews, scene photographs, police reports, medical records, forensic examinations, the Cook County Medical Examiner's postmortem report and available video recordings.
The most important later development was a Cook County State's Attorney's Office Police Involved Death Decision Memorandum that was not available when the original reports were published. That official review identifies Jeremy Maske by name as the Amtrak officer who killed Taylor and provides the formal prosecutorial review of his gunfire.
After reviewing the evidence, the Cook County State's Attorney's Office concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support criminal charges against Maske. Prosecutors therefore declined to prosecute him for Taylor's death

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-man-killed-police-union-station-20210824-6q5f5zqfdfg4dm6n3brk6t5n2e-story.html
https://apnews.com/article/chicago-police-shootings-illinois-union-station-08-24-2021
https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/man-shot-killed-police-union-station/
https://chicago.suntimes.com/crime/2021/8/25/22640871/4-shot-tuesday-chicago