No criminal charges in fatal shooting by Illinois officer

ELGIN, Ill. – A suburban Chicago police officer will not be charged in the fatal shooting of a woman armed with a knife along an interstate.

The (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald reports the Cook County state’s attorney’s office decided not to criminally charge Elgin police Lt. Christian Jensen on Friday following an investigation into the death of 34-year-old DeCynthia Clements.

Clements was shot March 12, 2018, after a standoff on Interstate 90 during which she set her vehicle on fire. Although officers were prepared with stun guns and rubber bullets, Jensen fired his gun.

A medical examiner determined Clements had cocaine and benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, in her bloodstream.

Elgin police Chief Ana Lalley says an internal investigation will review whether Jensen violated any department policy or procedure, including use of force.