PRESS STATEMENT: CAIR-Chicago Condemns Fatal Police Shooting of Ayham Babidi, Demands Transparency and Accountability in Ongoing Investigation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(CHICAGO, IL, 9/14/2026) — The Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned the fatal police shooting of 21-year-old Ayham Babidi in Des Plaines during what his family described as a mental health crisis. CAIR-Chicago calls for the ongoing outside investigation to examine the officer’s use of deadly force, the failure to activate his body camera, and whether opportunities to de-escalate the encounter and preserve Ayham’s life were missed.
Babidi was shot on September 9 after police responded to a reported domestic disturbance at his home. His father said Babidi had bipolar disorder and that the family had previously sought police assistance to get him to the hospital. His father maintains that he was unarmed. Police allege Babidi approached the officer threateningly with an electric hedge trimmer and ignored commands to drop it.
The regional investigative team known as MCAT is conducting the outside investigation. Des Plaines police acknowledged that the officer did not activate his body camera before the shooting, citing the encounter’s rapid escalation. The department said dashcam and residential surveillance footage would be released when disclosure would no longer compromise the investigation.
“No family should have to fear that seeking help for a loved one in a mental health crisis will end in their death,” said Ahmed Rehab, CAIR-Chicago Executive Director and Des Plaines resident. “Ayham’s family deserves a full accounting of the police response and whether officers took every reasonable opportunity to preserve his life.
“Given the family’s prior calls for help described by his father, it is abhorrent that this encounter ended in his death. Officials must explain whether mental health professionals were contacted, when assistance was requested, and why the response failed to preserve his life. A person’s psychiatric condition cannot excuse police brutality or unnecessary force.”
CAIR-Chicago calls for the following steps:
A thorough, impartial investigation: Identify the agencies leading the MCAT investigation, explain safeguards against conflicts of interest, provide regular public updates, and release findings to the fullest extent permitted by law.
Body-camera compliance and transparency: Determine when the officer could have activated his camera, including upon exiting the patrol vehicle. Preserve all available video, camera activation logs, recoverable pre-event footage, 911 recordings, and dispatch records. Promptly release material that can lawfully be disclosed, with appropriate privacy protections, and explain any continued withholding. Illinois law generally requires recording during calls for service and activation upon exiting a patrol vehicle for a law-enforcement encounter; if exigent circumstances prevent activation, recording must begin as soon as practicable.
Officer accountability: Publicly identify the officer who fired the fatal shots, disclose the officer’s current duty status, and ensure the officer is removed from public-facing duties while the shooting is investigated. If an unjustified failure to comply with recording requirements is established, pursue suspension without pay through the applicable disciplinary process, with further action warranted by the investigation’s findings.
Crisis response, training, and supervision: Release the policies in effect at the time of the shooting and review the officer’s crisis-intervention, de-escalation, and use-of-force training. Explain what dispatchers and officers knew about Babidi’s mental health and whether mental health teams were contacted first—and, if not, why—given the family’s prior calls for help described by his father.
Des Plaines has police-based crisis-intervention staff, while the Cook County Sheriff’s Treatment Response Team offers 24/7 virtual clinician assistance. Both agencies should clarify whether Des Plaines participates in the Sheriff’s program and whether assistance was available or contacted in this case. CAIR-Chicago calls on Des Plaines to publish a plan to the public within 30 days addressing gaps in crisis-response coverage and oversight.
We extend our deepest condolences to Ayham’s family and loved ones. They deserve transparency, accountability, and a thorough accounting of the decisions that led to his death.
CAIR-Chicago’s mission is to defend civil rights, fight bigotry, and promote tolerance.
CONTACT: Ahmed Rehab, CAIR-Chicago Executive Director, 202-870-0166, arehab@cair.com; Hafsa Haider, CAIR-Chicago Communications Director, hhaider@cair.com