Family Takes Wrong Man Off Life Support After Misidentification By Chicago PD

A confusion between Chicago Police and a Chicago hospital led to the death of a wrong man. According to the Chicago Tribune, a family took the wrong man off of life support and now, the Chicago Police are facing a lawsuit by both families involved. Elisha Brittman, 62, was found naked and beaten underneath a car in Chicago’s Bronzeville area where he was taken to the Mercy Hospital. Due to the severity of the attack which left his face unidentifiable, he was taken into the hospital as John Doe. Police later used a mugshot to try and identify the man despite the disfiguration of the man’s face, the lawsuit states. They ended up identifying the man as Alfonso Bennett.

The hospital later reached out to Bennett’s family. However, Bennett’s family didn’t believe that the person they identified as Alfonso was in the intensive care unit. Alfonso’s sister, Rosie Brooks, said that after she asked how the hospital staff identified the man, they simply stated that it was through the police. Brooks claimed hospital staff claimed she and her family were in denial but they later agreed to take the man off of life support.

Now, here’s where things get weird. Brooks said they were with Alfonso three days later when he passed. While making funeral arrangements, Alfonso reportedly walked through her door, Brooks claimed. The man who they actually pulled the plug on was Brittman. Police ended up pointing the finger at the hospital after Brooks said they should’ve fingerprinted the man. 

“To say that we currently have questions is an understatement,” Chicago PD said in a statement. “We have detectives looking into every aspect of this incident — from the incident response to the circumstances leading to the hospitalization and the notification of family members.”