Chicago police guard protestors outside the 7th District station of the Department on August 11, 2020 in Chicago. Getty Images/Scott OlsonA Black family sued the Chicago Police Department over a botched raid at their home.According to the lawsuit, officers pointed guns at two girls and made them wet their beds.According to the lawsuit, several family members are suffering from PTSD symptoms following the botched raid.For more stories, visit Insider's homepage.Tuesday's federal lawsuit was filed by a Black family against Chicago. They claim that Chicago police officers pointed guns at their children during a botched raid of the wrong house.According to the lawsuit, officers entered Steven Winters' house in August 2019 without having issued a warrant or identifying themselves. Officers immediately pointed guns at Winters and shouted for him to stop.According to the lawsuit, the officer entered the house and pointed a flashlight at Winters' daughters, aged 4 and 9.The lawsuit claims that after the officer informed another officer that the children in the room were children, another officer continued to point his gun "directly" at the girls. The two girls wet their beds and cried throughout the time police were present in their apartment.According to the lawsuit, a third officer entered Winters' bedroom and pointed a gun at him while he was lying in bed.Family members claim they obeyed all officers' orders when they entered the house. One family member tried even to open the door while officers tried to kick it in. The family claims that the officers ignored their questions.In addition, the lawsuit claims that officers falsified reports in order to hide a raid on the wrong house. Officers claim they saw a suspect running from a nearby gas station with a gun and ran into Winters' house. However, the lawsuit claims that the body camera footage of officers does not show any other entry or exit to the building.Continue the storyInsider was told by a spokesperson for Chicago Police Department that they wouldn't comment on any pending litigation.After a botched raid, family members experience PTSD symptoms.According to the lawsuit, several family members now have symptoms of post-traumatic Stress Disorder.Winters' daughters experienced long-lasting trauma such as continual bed-wetting and crying easily, decreased appetite, nightmares involving gun violence, acting out, and anxiety surrounding police officers.According to the lawsuit, one of these girls "not only feels anxious and afraid whenever she meets a police officer but she also runs and hides behind family members." Winters and his mother in law also experienced trauma, suffering from nightmares and trouble sleeping.According to the lawsuit, Chicago's Department of Public Health Program Chicago Safe Start demonstrates that young children are exposed to violence. In 2012, the city cut funding for the program that trained officers about the traumatizing effects of violence on young children. It failed to replace it by any other training.The lawsuit also refers to several other instances of excessive force against children, which it claims are due to the city's failures of following its own policies. This includes a 2013 case in which a rifle was pointed at an infant, and another 2015 case in which a SWAT team pointed their guns at three children, aged 6, 6 and 11.Insider has the original article.
