Vikings' Otis Grigsby Posts YouTube Video: 'Illinois State Police Murdered My Uncle'

Last week a Stateville correctional officer named Lernard Grigsby was shot by an Illinois State Police officer. On Monday he was pronounced dead at Provena St. Joseph Medical Center. His nephew, Minnesota Vikings defensive end Otis Grigsby, considers his uncle's death a murder, and he looks straight into the camera and explains in this video:

According to the Chicago Tribune, police responded to a domestic disturbance call in an employee dormitory at Stateville Correctional Center at about 4 a.m. on Thursday. Police said that when they found the woman who made the call, Lernard Grigsby attacked them. A sergeant shot Grigsby in the abdomen.

Otis Grigsby calls that article "amazingly flawed and ridiculous, and it shows that basically, these people don't earn their paychecks, because if they did, they would have actually asked questions, besides reading a bogus police report."

Says Otis of his uncle, "He defended himself like any person would. No person is going to sit there and take a beating." And for nine minutes, he talks about his uncle's death in a video that raises many questions, provides few answers and won't be easy to forget.

Latest NFL Photos

New England Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft, right, and is son, team president Jonathan Kraft, left, stand with 2008 first round draft choice Jerod Mayo, a linebacker out of the University of Tennessee, during a media availability at the team's stadium in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday afternoon, May 1, 2008. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

** FILE ** In this Feb. 10, 2008 file photo, new Washington Redskins coach Jim Zorn gestures during a news conference at Redskins Park in Ashburn, Va. Zorn spent so much time preparing for his first NFL draft as a head coach that he hasn't able to finish creating a play book, so he's come up with an abbreviated version for the Washington Redskins three-day minicamp that begins Friday, May 2, 2008 .(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

New England Patriots 2008 first round draft choice Jerod Mayo, right, a linebacker out of the University of Tennessee, faces the media after being introduced at a media availability at the team's football facility in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday afternoon, May 1, 2008. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

New England Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft, right, talks with the team's 2008 first round draft choice Jerod Mayo, a linebacker out of the University of Tennessee, as they walk onto the playing field at the Patriots' football facility in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday afternoon, May 1, 2008. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

New England Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft, right, and is son, team president Jonathan Kraft, left, walk onto the playing field with 2008 first round draft choice Jerod Mayo, a linebacker out of the University of Tennessee, at the Patriots football facility in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday afternoon, May 1, 2008. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

New England Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft, right, stands with 2008 first round draft choice Jerod Mayo, a linebacker out of the University of Tennessee, at their football facility in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday afternoon, May 1, 2008. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

New England Patriots chairman and CEO Robert Kraft, right, and is son, team president Jonathan Kraft, left, stand with 2008 first round draft choice Jerod Mayo, a linebacker out of the University of Tennessee, holding up a Patriots jersey indicating he is the team's number one choice at their football facility in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday afternoon, May 1, 2008. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

New England Patriots 2008 first round draft choice Jerod Mayo, a linebacker out of the University of Tennessee, holds up a Patriots jersey indicating he is the team's number one choice at their football facility in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday afternoon, May 1, 2008. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

President Bush receives a football jersey from New York Giants wide receiver Amani Toomer , left, Wednesday, April 30, 2008, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington during a ceremony honoring the Super Bowl XLII champion New York Giants football team. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)

President Bush high-fives Lt Col. Greg Gadson, the New York Giants inspirational co-captain, as they participate in a photo opportunity with the members of the Super Bowl XLII champion New York Giants, Wednesday, April 30, 2008, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington. Super Bowl most valuable player, quarterback Eli Manning is at right. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 10)

5-01-2008 @ 7:08PM

Thomas Davis said...

He should be cut, Police are always right

5-01-2008 @ 7:13PM

loubon said...

a bigger joke is nba players helping kids read. a promotion stunt by the nba, they don't tell us how many never graduate college let alone those that have poor speaking skills.

5-01-2008 @ 7:27PM

alejandro de Castro said...

hey Loubon. I think you mean a promotional stunt, not "promotion" stunt. You are just as bad as Tommy from Shawshank. Dont read so good huh?

5-01-2008 @ 7:32PM

Phil said...

Good old AMERICA, can't wait to make a RACIST statement. Why are white people so mad because blacks are better athletes. It's a GOD given talent, get over it. We all act up at sometime.

5-01-2008 @ 7:38PM

billparras6317 said...

ask rodney king if the police are always right, ask all the people that are set free from jail after years of false imprisonment if the police are always right. otis is mearly speaking his mind as are the other million bloggers and youtubers. why is everyone so hate filled? let the man voice his opinion

5-01-2008 @ 7:44PM

wow it took a whole 2 posts for this to become a racist issue,,

5-01-2008 @ 8:14PM

mmcgill said...

Its to bad that there are people like Thomas,Loubon,Aljendro, I bet ya they would'nt say any of that to his face.They are cowards just like the people that shot his uncle in the back..

5-01-2008 @ 8:03PM

Arthur Mento said...

He was shot in the stomach, NOT the back. These people blame the police and society for ALL their problems.Grigsby is an illiterate moron who has gotten special help for everything in his life, just like the rest of his ilk. He won't last long in the NFL. HE WAS N OT THERE, but the illiterate fool knows that the police are wrong. Vikes should cut him.

5-01-2008 @ 8:08PM

JulioSanchez said...

Yeah go ask Sean Bell's family if cops are always right. He was shot 50+ times. That is way worse than manslaughter. But NO white people think cops are always right so what happens that cop got off free for now.

I stand by what I say.Cops have a real tough job and 99.9 percent of the time what they do is right.

5-01-2008 @ 8:37PM

RVMamas said...

mmcgill, read (you can read can't you) the article again. His uncle was shot in the abdomen (stomach to you).

5-01-2008 @ 8:48PM

carl said...

Same ol' story!! The racists and the white guilters pop up and cant have a legit discussion of the issue

5-01-2008 @ 9:03PM

rebelkat said...

saw...its forgotten already...

5-03-2008 @ 3:34PM

Ed said...

wow!! all you idiots out there that think cops do no wrong must be the same idiots that voted for Bush not ONCE but TWICE!!! cops are human and should be held accounatble for their actions the same as any citizen. I am getting suck and tired of hearing about cops ( white or black) killing minorities for NO REASON!!this has got to stop!! we call ourselves the best country in the world? Lets prove it and stop all this injustice.

5-01-2008 @ 9:09PM

WHITE POWER! said...

Thomas Davis...

I can tell you for a fact that although cops are usually right they aren't always right. And just because they are usually right... doesn't automatically make them right in this case...

It's called CASE BY CASE BASIS... something some of you intellectually lazy folks out there who like to paint the broad brush need to understand!

And you Arthur Mento... Griggs is an illiterate moron? Who has gotten special help for everything? Like he and the rest of his ilk?

Dumb pricks like you are the ones who will make bigoted statements and one sentence later wonder why somebody had to bring race into it!!!

What a P*SSY! Say it to his face!

5-01-2008 @ 9:32PM

David Sica said...

Rodney King was a piece of crap who got what he deserved. Sean Bell we will never know the whole story...but he was no choir boy. This case will be decided when the fact come out. Not by you racist blacks who think every black person is not quilty. Most cops are good guys who do a tough job. There are some bad ones who make it hard on them. Let the facts tell the story.....not some over prividged jock.

5-01-2008 @ 9:50PM

Lakergregg said...

For every action there is a reaction.
Had the dead man not been involved in a domestic dispute that than escalated into domestic violence
he would be alive today.His nephew would not be grieving and blaming the cops for doing their duty.
I can't tell you how many times I've witnessed an individual act like a complete a-hole and when the police show up and have to use force to subdue the individual suddenly they plead ignorance and ask over and over again,"what I do?"

5-01-2008 @ 10:03PM

tom said...

To all the people complaining about how no one is taking an NFL player's word over the police's are idiots. The player in question is emotionally involved, while the police did their job. To assume that the police are wrong and someone who wasn't there has the facts is stupidity. As for the Sean Bell case the 50 shots were fired because it is standard police protocol to continue firing once you make the decision to fire once. In this coutry we are innocent until proven guilty and in both instances the police have been found above reproach.

As for David Sica he is clearly a racist and should be ignored.

5-01-2008 @ 10:12PM

J Glover said...

Hey The guy plays Football not Basketball folks. And whos to say hes not right !!!!

5-01-2008 @ 10:26PM

Max said...

For those of you attacking the character of this man, you have no idea who he is. Stop judging people by the color of their skin. It's that simple. Stop judging people because they don't look like you. We're all humans, so show a little compassion for your fellow man and give this man the respect he deserves. He just lost someone he loves. Think about how you would feel about something like this before you post hateful comments about his life.