Gurnee Officers Cleared In Fatal Route 41 Shooting

GURNEE, IL – The officers who open fired on a Lake County woman, killing her along Route 41 in May, were justified in their actions, Lake County State's Attorney Mike Nerheim said in a statement released Friday. The woman, Makell Meyerin, 31, of Antioch, was armed with a Beretta Cx4 Storm tactical carbine rifle that she aimed at Gurnee Police Department officers before she was shot on May 23 during the standoff, according to Nerheim's news release. Following an investigation into the officer-involved shooting, authorities determined the two officers, Sgt. Jon Ward and Officer Benjamin Bozer, acted reasonably and appropriately, Nerheim writes in a conclusion to his findings.

The Lake County Major Crimes Task Force investigated the officer-involved shooting and the Lake County State's Attorney's Office reviewed their findings to determine if their was any criminal wrong-doing. Nerheim's report details the events leading up to the shooting on Route 41 just north of Grand Avenue.

Officers Respond To Suspicious Vehicle

The incident began when officers were first called to the area of Harper Avenue and Gould Avenue in a residential neighborhood in Gurnee at about 1:22 p.m. for a report of a suspicious vehicle. Officer Bozer arrived and found both Meyerin, who was in the driver's seat, and a passenger, Jordan Huff, 37, in a 2010 Toyota Prius, according to the report. Both were unconscious and had "labored breathing" and Huff was blue in color with a faint pulse, police said.

Bozer suspected either Huff, or both Huff and Meyerin, were overdosing. He was able to wake up Meyerin and attempted to render aid. Meyerin then fled in the Prius, according to the news release.

Ms. Meyerin sped away from the officer, then made a U-turn, drove across a residential lawn to evade the officer, drove erratically through a construction zone, suddenly darted through other residential streets, and crashed her car at Chittenden Park. Armed with the rifle, she got out of her vehicle and began walking along Route 41, ignoring repeated requests from police to drop her firearm, according to Nerheim's report.

At one point, she crawled on the ground with the gun and, according to Nerheim, and “displayed a keen awareness” of the gun’s operation. In a conclusion to his findings, Nerheim writes:

As Ms. Meyerin continued to ignore police requests to put the gun down, she was placing countless individuals in danger including numerous police officers, citizens in neighboring single-family homes, citizens at Chittenden Park, citizens in the surrounding yards and walkways, and countless motorists on Route 41.
Officers took extreme care to try to calm Ms. Meyerin and to eliminate any harm to her or any persons in the vicinity. They requested that she drop her gun. They assured her that Mr. Huff was being cared for. They referred to her by the names “honey” and “sweetie” in order to present words designed to soothe, pacify, and calm Ms. Meyerin. The officers displayed impressive restraint and incredible reserve in dealing with this armed individual.
Ms. Meyerin disregarded every request made by law enforcement. During the incident, multiple officers heard Ms. Meyerin state “Just shoot me.” Multiple officers heard her “rack” her gun in order to prepare it for firing. When Ms. Meyerin levelled the gun at officers, her finger was on the trigger. Sgt. Ward and Officer Bozer believed that their lives, the lives of their fellow officers, and the lives of the citizens present in the area were in danger of imminent death or great bodily harm.
It was only then that they fired their guns to eliminate this threat. It should also be noted that once the threat ceased, they immediately stopped firing their weapons and took steps to aid Ms. Meyerin.
Her gun, a Beretta Cx5 Storm tactical carbine rifle, had one live shell in the chamber. The magazine contained 5 live rounds. The selector switch was in the “fire” position.

Meyerin was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center where she was pronounced dead. Autopsy results revealed she died of multiple gunshot wounds to her leg and torso. Toxicology results showed Meyerin had the following drugs in her system: opiates, cocaine, benzodiazepines, fentanyl/metabolites, naloxone, clonazepam and benzoylecgonine, according to Nerheim's report.

Authorities learned during their investigation that Meyerin and Huff had "been on a drug binge for the last several weeks in the Antioch area."

More on Patch

• Authorities ID Woman Fatally Shot By Cops In Gurnee
• More Details Released In Route 41 Officer-Involved Shooting

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