At Rest
A living memorial to lives lost to injustice, greed, and war.
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In loving memory
Oluwatofunmi O. “Toto” Kaiyewu
United States · Aged 23 · Died 04/26/2009
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How they died
Deadly force
UI officer Doug Beckman, VCSD Sgt. Eric Deck and CCSD deputy Michael Wertz shot Oluwatofunmi O. "Toto" Kaiyewu when he allegedly took a "lunge step" with a machete at 12 officers after a chase that began when VGPD officer Adam Deckard thought Kaiyewu looked suspicious. Kaiyewu caught Deckard's attention at a gas station in Villa Grove (a former "sundown town") because his car had Texas plates. Deckard followed Kaiyewu, who stopped his car, got out and allegedly struggled with Deckard, who claimed he could see "evil" in Kaiyewu's eyes. Kaiyewu drove off and a chase ensued involving officers from several departments. Police disabled Kaiyewu's car on I-74, where the officers claimed he came at them with a machete. Three officers fired Tasers at Kaiyewu, but said they had no effect. Deck, Beckman and Wertz then shot Kaiyewu, killing him.
Alleged responsible partyVermilion County Sheriff's Office, Champaign County Sheriff's Office, University of Illinois Police DepartmentReported by the cited sources. “Alleged” is used pending verification.
Why we remember them
This record exists so that Oluwatofunmi O. “Toto” Kaiyewu, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.
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