On April 8th, 2017, according to reports written by Kristen Zambo for RRStar, Rockford police department officer Ben Schuster was dispatched at 1:43p.m. to Dick's sporting goods on E. State. An employee of Dick’s had called to report theft from their vehicle.
Ben Schuster arrived shortly after two and began speaking to the employee who called 911 outside regarding the alleged theft from her vehicle. While speaking to this employee, another Dick's employee followed Eboney Adams out the store yelling "She's stealing! She's stealing"
How this second employee came to believe this enough to shout it with a police officer present is unknown. There was no information released to the public as to why this employee believed Eboney Adams to be stealing. No information was publicly released as to what they were alleging Eboney to be stealing.
It was confirmed that Eboney was not involved in the original incident that led to the police being there. After hearing these shouts, Ben Schuster was told by the employees where Eboney Adams was parked. By the time Schuster got there, she was already in the car with it running and doors shut. Schuster began to order her out of the vehicle. When she did not immediately comply, Schuster opened the driver side car door.
Then State's Attorney Joe Bruscato described Eboney was "yelling obscenities at Schuster."After opening the car door, it is alleged that Eboney began to drive in reverse. Bruscato noted in a press conference that Schuster was initially able to walk with the car as it moved backward but unable to get around it. The state alleged Schuster was injured after being hit by the car door but refused to go into details regarding the extent of the injuries.
With her car backed up out of the parking space, Eboney Adams was ready to drive away when Ben Schuster started firing. He let off six shots in the middle of the parking lot while she was driving away.
Eboney drove to the intersection of state and trainer road where she stopped. Ben Schuster found her already stopped, and removed her from the vehicle. Eboney was shot and bleeding in her left arm with bullet holes all over the vehicle. She was taken to a hospital to be treated and charged on that day with aggravated battery to a police officer. The night of the shooting the Winnebago Boone County Integrity task force was activated by Dan O'Shea.
In August of 2017, four months later, this shooting became the twelfth case investigated and justified by the Winnebago Boone County Integrity Task Force.
At the time of the shooting and still to this day Ben Schuster is an avid Trumper. Unrelated to the shooting he is no longer a Rockford police officer.
This was the first deadly force incident with Tom McNamara in mayoral office and the 14th deadly force incident in the 2010’s.