Family of Mary Alice Love to demand murder charges against Mundelein officer
LAKE COUNTY, Ill. - A Mundelein woman’s family is seeking criminal charges and the firing of the officer who shot her during a May mental health crisis.
Mary Alice Love | Provided
Love family seeks charges in police shooting
The family of 37-year-old Mary Alice Love is scheduled to meet Thursday with Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart to discuss possible criminal charges against a Mundelein police sergeant.
The family’s attorneys said a news conference will be held at 2:30 p.m. outside the Lake County Courthouse following the meeting.
The family plans to demand that the Village of Mundelein immediately fire the sergeant and that the State’s Attorney’s Office file murder charges against him.
The backstory:
Love was shot and killed May 11 after Mundelein police responded to her home for what police described as a mental health emergency.
Police have said Love was holding two large knives and had made statements about wanting officers to kill her before the sergeant opened fire.
Love’s family has disputed the police account and said officers failed to properly de-escalate the encounter.
In July, a coroner’s jury ruled Love’s death a homicide by multiple gunshot wounds after hearing testimony and reviewing autopsy evidence.
No criminal charges against the sergeant have been announced. Following the shooting, he was placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure after an officer-involved shooting.
What we don't know:
Authorities have not publicly identified the sergeant involved, saying only that he is an 18-year veteran of the Mundelein Police Department.
The Source: The information in this story came from O’Connor Law Firm in Chicago and previous FOX Chicago reporting.