a 17 year old boy who was shot dead from behind by a police officer had just stolen a handgun, according to the police department in question justus howell was gunned down from behind by an officer in zion, illinois on saturday afternoon after officers were called to reports of an argument the chief of the zion police department has now said that the argument was in fact a scuffle over a handgun   during which the firearm went off and howell allegedly pointed it at another teenager killed: justus howell, 17, was shot twice in the back by police in zion, illinois, on saturday afternoon  'stole a handgun': police say that howell had just taken a weapon from tramond peet, 18, who was trying to sell it to him  steve dumyahn said howell was struggling over a gun with tramond peet, 18, and started running when police showed up peet told officers he met howell with the intention of selling him the gun   but howell tried to snatch it without paying he then claimed the two tussled over the weapon, which was fired into the ground at one point, he said, howell was pointing it at him peet told investigators that he let go of the gun when he heard sirens he said howell ran and that he heard officers shouting instructions, then opening fire an autopsy on howell revealed that he was hit by two bullets, both from behind aftermath: investigators are pictured above at the scene of the shooting, which took place around 2pm  one his his left side and penetrated his heart, spleen and liver the second hit him on the right side of his back tests to see whether there were drugs in howell's body are not finished yet in the wake of his death, howell's mother latoya told fox news her son 'couldn't have been a threat' she said: 'justus was a young man murdered by zion police' 'as he was fleeing from police, they killed my son he couldn't have been a threat if he was running' peet appeared in court monday on two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon he is being held on a $15,000 bond dumyahn said the zion police department was releasing the narrative from the shooting because media outlets had linked peet's case to the shooting he said the department has 'no desire to defame the deceased' courts: peet appeared in court monday charged with two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon  claim: zion police chief steve dumyahn said the department had 'no desire to defame' howell, but released the details because media outlets realized his case and peet's are connected  dumyahn said the officer who shot howell is a nine year veteran, and is now on administrative leave he did not release the officer's name or any additional information about him, including his race lake county naacp president jennifer witherspoon said his relatives have asked her organization to speak on their behalf witherspoon said authorities told the naacp that they have videotape of the scuffle between peet and howell but can't yet say what led the officer to shoot howell she said howell's relatives are hoping to find out exactly what happened as quickly as possible she said: 'whether it was a mistake on his part or a mistake on the police's part, they want answers to make sure something like this never happens again' howell's death is the latest in a series of unarmed black men being killed by police officers   the most high profile example of which was the death of michael brown at the hands of darren wilson in ferguson, missouri witherspoon added: 'here in america we are seeing this with too many brown and black boys' zion is a community of about 24,000 people along lake michigan, 45 miles north of chicago, near illinois' border with wisconsin howell was a high school junior who transferred from a school in wisconsin to waukegan public school district 60
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