On April 8th, 2021, Alvin Burrage died while in custody of the Cook County Sheriff. Mr. Burrage succumbed to his injuries after being shot by Calumet City Police during a traffic stop on March 25. He was 26 years old at the time of his death. 

Despite being a victim of police brutality, he was charged with attempted murder for allegedly raising a gun in the direction of the officer performing the traffic stop and firing return shots after being hit himself. 

An autopsy immediately found the law enforcement narrative, which was that Calumet City police fired one shot at Mr. Burrage, to be false. The official cause of death was ruled to be homicide by multiple gunshot wounds. To those of us who seek to end the state sanctioned violence that is policing, the most consistent feature of these completely avoidable and deadly confrontations is the inability or unwillingness of police officers and the departments they represent to tell the truth. 

CCBF mourns the loss of Alvin Burrage’s life and our hearts go out to his family, and we rail against the system that took his life. We will keep fighting to keep our loved ones out of the custody of the criminal legal system, especially out of jail and police custody, because we are always safer in our own communities. Alvin Burrage is gone, but will not be forgotten.