Glasgow: Joliet Officer Justified In Shooting Of 'Madman'

JOLIET, IL — Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow announced Tuesday evening that Joliet Police Officer Ryan Killian was justified when he shot 44-year-old Nakia Smith almost a year ago in the Liberty Meadows subdivision near Briggs Street. Police said Smith was armed and had just murdered his girlfriend.

"The courage Killian displayed that evening is truly remarkable," Glasgow wrote in a letter sent to Joliet Police Chief Al Roechner on Tuesday. "He took a position in a dark backyard without cover so that he could stop this violent offender's rampage, and he absolutely did. This is a classic demonstration of sheer and consummate valor under fire, and serves as abject proof of how police officers put their lives on the line every day in order to protect the people they serve.

"Killian's heroism that evening to protect innocent people from this madman is to be celebrated and admired."

The deadly rampage on Joliet's east side unfolded around 4:10 a.m. on May 27, 2019. Smith and his girlfriend, 43-year-old Kimiki Truss, both died of gunshot wounds at the property in the 1200 block of Justice Lake Drive.

Glasgow's investigation concluded that Smith fatally shot Truss and was shot twice by Officer Killian. After being shot twice by the Joliet officer, Smith used his own gun to fatally shoot himself in the back of the head, Glasgow's investigation determined.

Killian and Officer James Lukaszek learned last May that an anonymous caller was asking for a welfare check of Truss at her house on Justice Lake Drive. The caller also told police that he had received a text from his female friend asking for help, Glasgow's investigation found.

Once the two officers approached the door, they heard a man inside ask, "Who is it?"

Lukaszek answered, "Police," and the officers heard a man and woman fighting inside.

"While Officer Killian was notifying Joliet Police Dispatch of their plan to enter the home and just before Lukaszek was to kick in the front door, both officers heard a loud explosion coming from inside the home with such a force that it felt as if the ground shook," Glasgow's investigation found. "Officer Lukaszek kicked the front door two to three times before it opened. Moving to the side after the door opened, both officers were immediately confronted with intense flames throughout the home.

"Officer Killian made his way to the front of the open door, yelled that he was a police officer, and ordered the occupants to come out of the home. He then heard a gunshot and saw a muzzle flash coming from inside the home."

The State's Attorney investigation indicates that Lukaszek began jumping up and down screaming and swearing, and Killian thought Lukaszek may have been shot. Will County State's Attorney's Office spokesman Carole Cheney told Patch that Lukaszek did suffer a graze wound, and that Smith was the only person inside the house with a gun when the two officers arrived.

"Believing Officer Lukaszek was struck by the gunshot and not knowing his condition, Officer Killian moved back into the driveway and behind one of the parked cars," documents from the investigation show.

Killian notified emergency dispatchers that shots were fired and the house was on fire. He then saw Smith chasing after Truss with a gun in his hand as she ran toward a neighbor's property.

"A video surveillance camera that captured Smith's attack upon Truss corroborates Officer Killian's observance of Smith carrying the weapon," Glasgow's report stated. "Officer Killian then heard a gunshot and believed he was under fire from Smith. Officer Killian then returned fire at Smith not knowing if he was struck."

Killian moved to the far southwest corner of the backyard.

"With Smith still moving and armed with a handgun on top of Truss, Officer Killian fired at Smith a third time. Officer Killian believed he struck Smith and continued moving toward the opposite corner of the residence, where he ultimately came into contact with another Joliet officer," Glasgow's report shows.

Eventually, other officers arrived at the scene and ordered Smith to drop his gun.

"Having moved closer to Smith who was still holding his gun, officers could now see a gunshot wound to the head and blood. Eventually Smith's handgun was physically removed from his hand by Joliet officers, who then began administering unsuccessful life-saving efforts to Kimiki Truss," according to Glasgow.

"Unfortunately, Kimiki Truss suffered a fatal contact gunshot wound to her head from the weapon of Nakia Smith, and was later pronounced dead" at the hospital, according to the report.

In total, Smith suffered three gunshot wounds, Glasgow noted.

"The first two came from the service revolver of Officer Killian. The first shot entered Smith's left flank lodging in the right side of his chest; the second shot entered Smith's right face and lodged in the left temporal muscle of his head; and the final gunshot was a self-inflicted gunshot to the back of the head," Glasgow's report found.

Had Smith lived, Glasgow said he would have charged the Joliet man with aggravated arson, residential arson, aggravated unlawful restraint, attempted murder of Kimiki Truss, attempted murder of Officer Killian, attempted murder of Officer Lukaszek and the first-degree murder of Kimiki Truss.

The yearlong investigation into Killian's shooting of the 44-year-old Joliet man was spearheaded by the Will-Grundy County Major Crimes Task Force.

"The actions of Nakia Smith reasonably led officer Killian to believe Smith posed a threat not only to himself, Officer Lukaszek and Kimiki Truss, but also to the public at large," Glasgow's investigation concluded. "The irrefutable evidence provided to my office clearly shows that Officer Killian, as well as other officers from the Joliet Police Department, issued multiple commands to Nakia Smith to drop his weapon ... The lethal encounter Kimiki Truss experienced with Nakia Smith as she fled from her home was further corroborated by a neighbor who observed the Truss house on fire and in particular, the grass in the backyard as Smith chased Truss from the home in his attempt to light her on fire."

Original Joliet Patch article:

Liberty Meadows Joliet Police Shooting, 2 Dead