Mundelein police released additional body-camera footage and 911 recordings Monday from the May 11 fatal shooting of 37-year-old Mary Alice Love, who was experiencing a mental health crisis.
Love's family viewed the additional footage as part of an agreement with the village and renewed calls for criminal charges against the officer who shot her, according to the Lake County News-Sun. Family attorney Kevin O'Connor said the footage reinforced his concerns that officers failed to properly use crisis-intervention and de-escalation techniques, while the family has also called for the officer's termination.
A Lake County coroner's inquest ruled Love's death a homicide late last month, though that designation does not automatically mean criminal charges will be filed.
The family met with Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart after that ruling, and O'Connor said Monday that any potential criminal case could be in the State's Attorney's Office within the next week or two, according to the Lake County News-Sun.
Officers were dispatched around 5:57 p.m. on May 11 to a home in the 1100 block of Ashbrook Drive after receiving reports of a suicidal woman who allegedly told family members she wanted police to kill her, police said. During a 911 call, the woman's mother told dispatchers her daughter wanted officers to "kill her" because she did not want to live.
Police said officers initially spoke with a family member outside and then inside the home while attempting to assess the situation. During the encounter, officers observed the woman seated on a rear patio with large knives nearby.
Body-camera footage shows officers repeatedly calling out to the woman and directing family members to move to safety.
According to police, the woman stood up, picked up the knives and approached a sliding glass door leading into the home where officers and a family member were located.
As she entered the residence while armed with the knives, an officer fired his weapon, striking her. She was transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, where she was later pronounced dead.
An autopsy by the Lake County Coroner's Office determined Love died from multiple gunshot wounds.
The Lake County Major Crime Task Force is conducting an independent investigation in coordination with the Lake County State's Attorney's Office. The officer involved, an 18-year veteran of the department and patrol sergeant, has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
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