Ex Waukegan Officer Arrested Charged with Murder in 2020 shooting death of FL Man in Waukegan

Former Waukegan Police Officer Dante Salinas Pleaded Not Guilty To All Charges in the shooting death of Jacksonville, FL man Marcellis Stinnette, who was gunned down during a traffic altercation in Waukegan in 2020.

Dante Salinas entered a not guilty plea on Thursday to charges of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in the Stinnette incident.

Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart spoke to reporters after a grand jury indicted the former Waukegan officer in the Oct. 20, 2020, shooting that killed Stinnette, a Terry Parker High School graduate, and wounded his girlfriend, Tafara Williams.

"These shots were illegal, unnecessary and constitute second degree murder and involuntary manslaughter," Rinehart said. "These charges come after months of investigation. ... The second degree murder charge recognizes that he has made claims that he was defending himself; that's why it is a second degree murder charge. He obviously was a police officer allowed to have a weapon."

Justice is finally being served, said Stinnette's sister, Zhanellis Banks, who emphasized that her brother's fatal shooting "definitely shouldn't have happened."

"They have come to the conclusion that without reasonable doubt, he was in the wrong," she said. "Marcellis should not have been killed in no way, shape or form. We have come to the reality of that; our brother is gone. They can never replace him; he is never coming back. Dante Salinas took a lot from us."