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Man shoots infant son, self in apparent murder-suicide in suburbs, police say

Published  September 22, 2019 1:36pm CDT
Crime and Public Safety
Sun-Times Media Wire

JOLIET, Ill. - A Joliet man shot himself and his infant son Saturday in an apparent murder-suicide in the southwest suburb, police said.

About 2:45 p.m., an officer responded to a home in the 8300 block of Buckingham Lane after neighbors reported hearing a female screaming inside, Joliet police said.

The officer found a 32-year-old woman and her 9-year-old daughter injured outside the home, police said.

The woman told officers she and her 35-year-old husband were separated and he knew he wasn’t welcome at the home, police said. He showed up anyway and forced his way in.

He allegedly attacked her upon entering, police said. In fear of her family’s safety, she yelled to her daughter to get the 1-1/2-year-old boy and run.

The father allegedly intervened as the daughter try to get her brother, police said. The woman told officers that he and the son were still inside the home.

The officer also learned that gunshots were heard inside the home just before he arrived, police said.

“Attempts were made to communicate with the 35-year-old male suspect in order to get him to come out peacefully,” police spokesman Sgt. Christopher Botzum said in a statement.

After a failed communication attempt, a SWAT unit gained entrance and found the man and his son dead from “apparent gunshot wounds inflicted by the suspect,” police said. The firearm used in the incident was found at the scene.

Mother and daughter were taken to Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet for treatment, police said.

An autopsy conducted Sunday by the Kendall County coroner’s office found that both father and son suffered “multiple gunshot wounds,” police said. Evidence collected at the scene as well as witness statements led officers to determine the father shot the baby before shooting himself.

“My heart goes out to the family of the victim,” Joliet Police Chief Al Roechner said in the statement. “This was a senseless act that will forever change the lives of those involved. These types of calls not only affect the family, they also affect our Officers.”