A family sues Chicago police after they pointed guns at children during a wrongful raid

An alleged wrongful raid by Chicago police has prompted a civil rights lawsuit against them. There have been reports that the Chicago Police Department is being sued by Regina Evans and Steven Winters – the parents of Reshyla Winters and Savayla Winters, two children who were allegedly held at gunpoint during an encounter with police in 2019. 

Several officers allegedly arrived at the residence of Winters on Aug. 7, 2019 to conduct a search. In the police report and the lawsuit, it is stated that there is no footage showing suspects walking into the building, despite allegations the apartment was used as a hideout by suspects who fought at a nearby gas station. 

Bodycam video shows officers searching each room of the house as they burst through the house. As shown in the videos, the cops pointed a weapon at Evans’ father before pointing a gun at Evans’ daughters as they slept in their beds. 

The girls awoke when they heard the commotion and noticed firearms and a flashlight pointed at them, an experience that allegedly led to their “enduring psychological trauma,” which means suffering “severe, long-term emotional and psychological distress, as well as PTSD.” 

“Savayla explained that she awoke when the noise happened, and then she saw the light in her face, and she saw something black pointing at her,” Evans said in an interview with “Good Morning America.” “And then Reisha said she saw a white light, and then she saw something big and black pointed at her, and she started crying.” 

“They were terrified. They didn’t know what was happening. “They thought mommy and daddy had been injured,” she said. “Reshyla still has nightmares, still cannot sleep right now. She’s screaming in her sleep. Savayla is 11 years old. She keeps waking up from nightmares.” 

Evans’ attorney alleges that Chicago police invaded the Winters’ home and searched it without consent from the family or a proper warrant, among other things.