A woman who remained in a comatose state following a Jan. 5 incident involving multiple Evanston police officers died July 1, attorneys representing the woman’s family, who have filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Evanston, confirmed July 2.
Felicea Williams, 42, was initially arrested by Evanston police on the night of Jan. 5 outside of a bar on the 2000 block of Howard Street, near the border of Evanston and Chicago, according to police.
According to a federal civil rights lawsuit filed June 1 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois by Williams’ mother Jacqueline Hoffman, Williams’ family alleges Evanston police used “excessive force” while attempting to restrain her and failed to intervene when Williams demonstrated signs of trouble breathing.
Williams was later taken to Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston by first responders after suffering from cardiac arrest during the encounter, the suit alleges.
She remained in a coma until the time of her death, her family said.
The Evanston Police Department previously declined a Pioneer Press request for comment regarding the incident and whether the officers involved were ever placed on leave and what their current employment status is.
The City of Evanston told Pioneer Press it cannot comment on pending litigation.
“When Evanston police officers confronted Felicea Williams on Jan. 5, 2026, she was alive. Today, she is dead,” The Cochran Firm Attorney Victor Henderson, who is representing Hoffman and Williams’ family in the suit, said in a statement to Pioneer Press.
Henderson wrote that Williams’ family informed his firm of her passing on July 1, roughly six months after her encounter with Evanston police.
“Police officers are entrusted with one of the greatest responsibilities our society can give: to protect life. Today, one family is mourning the loss of a daughter, a mother and a loved one,” the statement read.
“While Felicea’s life has ended, this family’s pursuit of accountability has not,” Henderson said.
After the incident, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office charged Williams with felony counts of aggravated battery to a police officer and resisting arrest, according to Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County records.
Evanston police officers named as defendants in the suit include Officers Todorche Ginchevski, Jack Gutekanst, Hoo Park, Amanda Fernandez, Michael Pagan and Jonathan Kurzeja. The City of Evanston is also listed as a defendant in the suit.
Williams’ family filed an original suit against the City of Evanston on April 8 after the city “repeatedly and consistently failed to respond” to The Cochran Firm’s repeated Freedom of Information Act requests for the body camera footage and all other records related to the Jan. 5 incident, Henderson said.
The firm eventually dropped that suit when the city released the documents days later, according to a news release announcing the federal lawsuit.
Williams’ family alleges in the June 1 lawsuit that officers Ginchevski and Gutekanst responded to a “report of a disturbance” on Howard Street on Jan. 5 at approximately 9:30 p.m.
Officers observed Williams, who was reportedly unarmed, “running into the street and attempting to enter a car,” per the lawsuit. Ginchevski exited his patrol vehicle to apprehend Williams, who then fell to the ground.
Officer Gutekanst assisted Ginchevski by restraining Williams, while “approximately four to six more police officers” arrived at the scene and then “pinned Ms. Williams to the ground with their hands and feet,” the suit alleges.
While actively restrained, the suit states that Williams was “visibly grunting and gasping for air.”
Williams then became unresponsive and was taken to St. Francis Hospital by first responders for medical treatment.
Henderson said the Williams family is not seeking a specific amount in damages, but “excess of the jurisdictional amount” required to file in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, in addition to punitive damages.
