A Cook County resident who spent over seven years in jail awaiting trial on murder charges has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that police officers deliberately ignored evidence and fabricated reports to wrongfully implicate him in a 2018 homicide. The complaint was filed by Keevon Conner on March 9, 2026, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against the City of Chicago and thirteen named police officers.
According to the court filing, the case centers on the February 22, 2018 shooting death of Larreese Smith in Palmer Park, Chicago. Police responded to the scene and interviewed Mazhani Bingham-Harris, a friend who witnessed the incident. Bingham-Harris described the shooter as “6 foot tall, skinny and with a dark-complexion,” wearing “a black jacket, burgundy hoodie and light blue, two-toned jeans.” Other witnesses provided similar descriptions to responding officers and through 911 calls.
The complaint states that video footage from city surveillance cameras captured an individual matching these descriptions near the scene at relevant times. However, Conner alleges that he did not match these descriptions: he is “5 foot, 9 inches tall,” weighed “170 pounds” at the time, and was wearing “a gray jacket, red hoodie, and black jeans.” Despite this discrepancy—and despite video evidence showing another individual fitting witness accounts—Conner claims that police focused their investigation on him.
The lawsuit asserts that officers omitted or altered key details in official reports to make Conner appear more like the suspect described by witnesses. For example, it alleges that they “omitted the description of the suspect’s blue-colored jeans” from some reports and instead reported “the suspect as wearing black pants.” Furthermore, Conner claims that officers failed to interview other witnesses or pursue leads pointing toward alternative suspects seen on surveillance footage.
Conner describes his arrest as involving a highly suggestive identification procedure: while he was being removed from a vehicle at gunpoint by police officers, Bingham-Harris was present in another squad car nearby. According to the complaint, information about Conner’s appearance was broadcast over police radio within earshot of Bingham-Harris before she identified him as the shooter during what is described as an “unconstitutional show-up identification procedure.” The lawsuit contends this identification was unreliable because it did not match her earlier statements.
After his arrest on February 22, 2018, Conner says detectives continued to build their case against him despite exculpatory evidence—including negative gunshot residue test results—and coerced statements from two teenagers who were interrogated over two days until they implicated themselves and attempted to implicate Conner. He further alleges that detectives misrepresented facts when seeking felony approval from prosecutors by omitting exculpatory evidence or information about other suspects.
On March 23, 2018—just over a month after his arrest—Conner was indicted on twenty-two counts related to Smith’s murder. He remained incarcerated without bond throughout pretrial proceedings due to the seriousness of these charges. His criminal trial began nearly seven years later on February 28, 2025; less than two weeks after opening arguments concluded on March 10th, jurors found him not guilty on all murder charges due to insufficient evidence linking him to Smith’s death. Remaining weapons charges were dismissed via nolle prosequi on May 6th.
The complaint brings four legal claims: violation of Fourth Amendment rights under federal law for unlawful detention and wrongful prosecution; malicious prosecution under state law; indemnification against liability for damages by the City under Illinois law; and vicarious liability for malicious prosecution against Chicago based on its role as employer. In each count Conner asks for compensatory and punitive damages along with attorneys’ fees and costs.
The suit names Amanda S. Yarusso as counsel for Keevon Conner (1180 N Milwaukee Ave., Chicago IL). The case is identified as Case No. 26 CV 2658.
Source: 126cv02658_Keevon_Conner_v_City_of_Chicago_Complaint_Northern_District_of_Illinois.pdf
